Once upon a time
by bob the kraken
Summary: Because Jack Frost couldn't have been around for 300 years without SOMEONE being able to see him... After 300 years, Jack opens up about the first people to who ever Believed. BIG 4 STORY! Rise of the Brave Tangled Dragons!
1. Chapter 1

**Greetings to all! Ever since I discovered this fandom, ideas have been popping into my brain and I need to get them out before my head explodes! I'm also looking for a beta if anyone would like to volunteer. So without further ado, here is the story. (DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN DISNEY'S OR DREAMWORKS BRAVE, TANGLED, RISE OF THE GUARDIANS, OR HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON)**

* * *

Pale hands scooped up powdery white snow and molded it into a perfect sphere. Jack Frost chuckled to himself as he peeked over the top of his snow fort, tossing the snowball up and down in his hand "You ready?" he asked his teammate.

Sophie Bennett giggled and cradled her own snowball in her tiny, pink mittens. "Yeah!" she squeaked excitedly.

Jack grinned down at her and looked out across the front of the Bennett's yard at the other snow fort a few yards away from his. He smiled when he saw Jamie Bennett peek over the top of the fort and duck back down when he saw him looking. Jack turned to back Sophie who was hopping up in down and giggling like crazy.

"Go!" Jack yelled and they jumped out from behind the snow fort with a battle cry just as the Jamie and his other friends did the same and they all started chucking snowballs at one another, laughing the whole time.

It had been a month since the whole ordeal with Pitch Black and Jack becoming a Guardian. The Boogeyman hadn't been seen since, so the Guardians didn't need to worry about anyone or anything threatening the children of the world. That meant Jack had plenty of time to exercise his duties as the Guardian of Fun. Which meant hanging out in Burgess and playing with Jamie and his friends, bringing mischief and snow days to the small town throughout winter. Jack loved every second of it. Not only could he be actually heard, touched, and _seen_ again, but he was back to doing what he did best; bringing joy and fun to children.

"Whoo-hoo!" Jack hollered as he jumped high into the air, dodging multiple snowballs. Sophie was tucked under his arm, laughing like crazy. She took aim and threw her own snowball. It sailed two feet out and fell the rest of the way. She started laughing. Jack landed and set Sophie down and smiled at the kids who were make more snowballs.

"Come on, is that all you guys got?" he taunted.

Jamie stood and laughed "Hey, no fair! You can fly!" he protested.

Jack shrugged "Hey, don't get mad. I'm giving your sister a handicap." The Guardian of Fun spun his staff and a pile of snowballs materialized before the young girl "You're like 300 years too late, anyway. I'm the king of snowball fights!" he said and sent a snowball flying at his first Believer, winter blue eyes sparkling with laughter. Jamie ducked and tossed his snowball back and the battle resumed.

* * *

An hour later they all were tired, wet, and dying for something warm. Well, the kids were anyway. Jack was fine with the cold. The six children and one Guardian sat in on the floor around the fireplace drinking hot chocolate. Jack sat behind them, propped up against his staff.

"Hey, Jack?" Jamie suddenly asked "Are you really 300 years old?"

The question captured everyone's attention, except Sophie who was busy trying to get her stuffed animal to drink some hot cocoa. Jack blinked and lowered his mug. He forgot how perceptive Jamie was. The boy often picked up on things that others didn't. It was no wonder that a child like him was his person to see him since, well, a really long time. "Yeah. I think so." he gave a half smile and said "That's nothing. The rest of the Guardians are all way older than me. _Way_ older!"

Jamie and the others all let out surprised exclamations "Whoa!"

"Wow!"

"That's so cool!"

"You must have been everywhere!"

Jack smiled and leaned back on his staff "Oh yeah, I've been around the whole world, seen a lot of crazy things. Helps when you can fly." he added with a wink.

"Ooh, ooh, tell us about something!"

Jack raised an eyebrow "Huh?" he asked. Then the others got in on it, demanding he told them a tale.

"Yeah, tell us a story, Jack!"

"Please, Jack?"

"C'mon Jack!"

Jack slid off his staff and put his hands up in surrender "Alright, alright I'll tell you a story," he laughed "What kind of story do you want to hear?"

"A good one!"

"And make it cool!"

"Make it have sword fights!"

"And romance!"

"Romance? Ew, no, make it have something awesome like...like dragons!"

"Dragons?"

"Princesses!" Sophie chimed in randomly.

Jack blinked, surprise plastered on his face before he let out a low chuckle "Dragons and princesses, huh?" A sad smile worked its way onto his pale face and his eyes clouded over in memory. Jamie noticed the change of mood in his friend "Jack, are you okay?" he asked. Jack blinked and gave another small laugh "Okay, I have a story for you." He said. A chorus of "Really?" and "Awesome!" came from his small crowd. Jack twirled his staff in a circle and leaped back onto the top "Gather 'round, children, gather 'round," he said in a theatrical voice as the children scooted up in a half-circle around him "This is a true story about love, great heroes, sword fights, dragons-"

"And princesses?"

"-Especially Princesses!" Jack's expression turned nostalgic "This is a story about the most amazing people I have ever met in my entire life." He said softly and straightened up.

"Once upon a time, a long, _long_ time ago there was a boy named Hiccup, and two girls named Rapunzel and Merida…"

* * *

 **Rise of the Brave Tangled Dragons FOREVER!**

 **Really short chapter, I know, but most prologues usually are. As for the chapter itself, I know it isn't very descriptive or seems rather rushed, but like I said before, this is a prologue.**

 **Some of you are probably going "Oh, Jamie and his friends asked Jack to tell him a story involving dragons and princesses? What a lovely coincidence!"**

 **Well guess what? Kids like to hear stories. I bet you have asked someone be a friend or family member to tell you a story about something at least once! If Jack Frost was sitting in my living room drinking hot chocolate and he says that he's been around for a long time and seen some crazy stuff I'd like to hear about some of that stuff! And besides, Jamie's friends are kids! They don't care if its a true story or not. They want to be entertained and blurt out suggestions that appeal to them.**

 **I love the ROTBTD ship. Its amazing! However, most of the fanfictions about the Big Four all meeting in the same place usually involve magic portals or time travel or something else that doesn't really make sense in my opinion** **. I want to try something different.**

 **Let's be honest; If Jack were to meet Hiccup, Merida, and Rapunzel, they'd have to live in the same time period. Historically speaking, Hiccup and Merida would have lived in the same era (700-800 A.D.) I have no idea what Rapunzel's era was but if you take a look at the movie's setting, characters, style of clothing, and architecture, I wouldn't hold off on saying that she would have been alive when Merida and Hiccup were, as well.  
**

 **Now as for Jack...that's a tricky one. I remember from the movie Jack talking to the Guardians about the Man in the Moon choosing him to become one and he says "300 years and this is his answer?" So if he really has been alive for 300 years old he'd have become Jack Frost in 1712 judging from when the movie came out. But immortal spirit or not, I think Jack would have gone _insane _ from being alive that long without _anyone _ to interact with, only having them walk through him. Even the other Guardians might have not ever met Jack in the beginning until he was asked to become one or later on in time.**

 **He also says something to the Man in the Moon in the beginning about him not being seen. He says "I've tried everything, and still no one believes in me!" It obviously implies he's been alone.**

 **But what if he meant something else by that?**

 **What if instead of getting people to see him from the start, what if he meant he was trying to get people to see him _again_?**

 **What if Jack meant he hadn't been alive for 300 years, but _alone_ for 300 years?**

 **If you watch ROTG and examine the scene with Jack's flashback, once again with setting, characters, style of clothing, and architecture he could have been farther back in time than the 1700's. There were colonists that came to the America's before the 1700's. Why couldn't Jack have been one of those? What if he was older than 300 and Manny had said something to him before...**

 **Or...**

 **If Jack was around in 1712, historically, Hiccup, Merida, and Rapunzel would all be dead. But most people focus on how _Jack_ couldn't have been alive when the others were. So…what if the _others_ were alive when Jack was? They their kingdoms could have been around during the turn of the century, isolated from the rest of the world and following old traditions. I mean, Berk is an island in the middle of nowhere, Vikings probably wouldn't care about the outside world and stick to what works for them. I don't know how Scotland was during that time period but Merida's kingdom could be isolated deep in the Highlands, separated from the rest of the country. Scotland is pretty big. **

**I don't know about Corona. I think it's part of either Spain or somewhere in Western Europe, but still, I wouldn't rule out Rapunzel's kingdom being an isolated from the rest of the world like Berk, just coming into the 17th century.**

 **Maybe I'm going to deep into this, but hey, its fanfiction, anything could happen. Take it with a grain of salt.**

 **Also to those who follow my other stories I AM DOING THE BEST I CAN! I've been rewriting Alien vs Predator Mutations and my AVP Evolutions stories as well as Twisted Shadows are still on hold. I have been working on Evolutions but I've hit a writers block again with it. Plus, I have school...fuck school...even though its fun...**

 **Reviews are fuel for fandom fire! Please leave one to keep the bonfire going!**

 **Yours truly-bob the kraken**


	2. Chapter 2

**(DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN DISNEY'S OR DREAMWORKS BRAVE, TANGLED, RISE OF THE GUARDIANS, OR HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON)**

* * *

Olive green eyes stared up at the cloudless sky. Bony arms were crossed behind a head with tousled auburn hair. A mouth with a gap in between the top front teeth opened to let out a soft sigh. A small scar ran along the right side of a round chin. Hiccup Haddock Horrendous the Third lay on his back in the grove where he had discovered Toothless the Night Fury. He was wearing his leather flight harness, a wicker sack sat next to him on the ground.

"Ready to go, bud?" he asked.

His question was answered by a low warble. A shadow loomed over him and huge acid green eyes stared down at him. Scales black as night shone in the afternoon sunlight. Ear-like fins stood up on the end of a salamander shaped head.

This was Toothless; the Night Fury Hiccup had shot down almost a year ago, back when Vikings and dragons were still enemies. Since no one believed that Hiccup the Useless had downed a dragon, he went to look for the dragon himself, intent on killing it. But when he _did_ find the dragon he just…couldn't.

The dragon looked so terrified, so afraid, and when Hiccup saw him…he saw himself. So Hiccup then did the most un-Viking thing he could have done at the time.

He freed the dragon.

But Toothless couldn't fly. The dragon had lost his left tail fin and as the saying among Vikings went; a downed dragon is a dead dragon. It was then Hiccup had a brilliant, crazy, absolutely _insane_ idea. He built Toothless a new tailfin. It was a prosthetic, made from iron and leather, and after a lot of trial and error, Hiccup discovered that he could get the dragon to fly only if someone else was riding him. That someone was him.

Then things got complicated. He got discovered, by Astrid no less! It took a slight kidnapping, a few well-placed words and a rather romantic flight to get her to agree that dragons aren't what everyone had thought them to be. But then they found out why dragons attacked them in the first place.

They were being controlled. Controlled by a gigantic dragon half the size of Berk. They later called the Red Death. It lived in the dragons nest and forced them to bring it food or else it would eat them instead. They barely escaped the nest it with their lives.

It was at that time Hiccup was at the final stages of dragon training. He had only made it that far by learning things about dragons from Toothless. The final task; slay a Monstrous Nightmare. When the day came he tried to show the other Vikings that dragons weren't dangerous beasts, that they didn't have to be afraid of them, but his father spooked the dragon and it attacked him. To make matters worse, Toothless showed up and saved him from the Nightmare but then other Vikings came in and captured him.

 _"You're not a Viking. You're not my son!"_

Even though his father, Stoick the Vast had apologized for everything he said to him the words still burned. His father had practically disowned him that day.

The Vikings strapped Toothless to a boat and used him to guide the Vikings to the dragons nest. Knowing that they would be no match for what was on their island, Hiccup rounded up the other trainees and together the six of them rode the dragons from the training pen to the dragons nest. The Red Death was already attacking the Vikings. Hiccup freed Toothless and together they managed to defeat the Red Death and seal the new found alliance between Viking and dragon. But he had lost his left leg in the battle, which he replaced with a mechanical prosthetic that allowed him to control Toothless's tail better.

Although, Hiccup would admit that the accident brought him and Toothless closer together than ever before.

Now, the hero of the isle of Berk, Hiccup was faced with an inner conflict and a unique challenge.

First was his relationship with Astrid. They just...fell apart. They were still good friends, don't get him wrong but…but what? They never truly solidified becoming a couple and he never really reciprocated Astrid's affections. He was too shy, and she was too bold. It just didn't work out.

It still stung though.

Secondly, his father had asked him to embark on a personal quest. Now that they were at peace with the dragon, it was safer to explore the outer regions around Berk. Stoick wanted Hiccup to become his personal map maker and catalog any lands he came across on month long journey. The way he had described it made it sound like a glorified vacation.

 _"Oh, it'll be great, son! You'll see new places, meet you people, just don't forget to write down where ye've been, eh? Now go on, off with ya."_

Hiccup had been nervous, but excited as well, and had accepted. Now he and Toothless were packed and ready to go.

And finally, there was the matter of their...companion.

"So, we're finally leaving? About time!"

Hiccup rolled his eyes "Well, Jack I just wanted to...you know...take a moment and say goodbye to my friends and family right before I head on this big journey? That sort of thing." Hiccup said and looked up at the tree by the edge of the lake.

There, on one of the branches, was a thin, wiry boy wrapped in a brown shawl that was coated with frost. His feathery hair was frosty white and his eyes were pale blue like the winter sky. He was barefoot and wore brown cloth leggings wrapped with bits of string. In one hand he held a crooked shepherds staff, also also covered in frost. Jack Frost laughed and allowed himself to fall off the branch and land on his feet with agile ease. He turned to the young Viking.

"Hey, I'm just glad you wanted me to tag along!" he said walking over Hiccup.

"You would have come, anyway." Hiccup retorted. Jack shrugged in a 'what can I say' type of fashion before tapping the bottom of Hiccup's prosthetic with the butt of his staff. "Come on, Hic, let's get moving! We're burning daylight, here!" He complained. Toothless growled and blew smoke at the Winter Spirit. Jack responded by forming a snowflake in his palm and blowing it at the dragon's nose. Toothless snorted in annoyance and wrinkled his snout at the tingling sensation before glaring at Jack.

Hiccup rolled his eyes "Knock it off you two." He said. "He started it." Jack said motioning to the Night Fury with his staff. Toothless made a wheezing laughing sound at Jack, revealing sharp, triangular teeth.

"And I'll finish it!" Hiccup said with a smile. Thus was the interaction between his dragon and the Winter Spirit. They'd acted like this ever since they first met one another…

 _Hiccup stiffened as icy slush ran down the back of his woolen shirt. Slowly, he turned around to face Snoutlout, Fishlegs, and the twins Ruffnut and Tuffnut. "Alright…who threw that" He asked crossing his arms over his chest. They all looked at him in confusion._

 _"Huh?" Fishlegs said._

 _Hiccup looked at Astrid next to him. She raised her hands in an 'I didn't do it!' pose. Hiccup turned back to his friends "It's a proven fact that snowballs just don't throw themselves." he said dryly. Snoutlout opened his mouth to say something a snowball knocked his helmet off. "Hey!" he protested, looking around at the others to find the culprit._

 _Tuffnut pointed to his sister who glared at her brother "Did not!" she said indignantly. She bent down and scooped up a handful of powdery snow and shoved into his face. Tuffnut reeled back and landed in the snow. "Hey, no fair, I wasn't ready!" He shouted and quickly packed a handful of snow together and threw it up at his sister who dodged out of the way. The stray snow hit Fishlegs._

 _Snoutlout began chuckling at the expense of the larger boy but was caught by surprise when Fishlegs gathered a large snowball and nailed him in the face. Then Ruffnut threw a snowball at Snoutlout who returned fire and wound up hitting Tuffnut. It descended into chaos after that._

 _"Well, that escalated quickly." Hiccup commented as he observed the snow brawl in front of him. Just then a snowball collided with the side of his head. Hiccup shook the snow out of his hair and turned to look at Astrid tossing a snowball up and down to herself with a mischievous smirk on her face._

 _"Oh it's on." He said right before he and Astrid joined the fray._

 _Later, a wet, cold, and laughing Hiccup walked into Gobber's smithy. "Well its abou' time ya got here! Ah' was beginning' to think that you forgot you were supposed ta come today." The blacksmith announced upon seeing the skinny boy. Hiccup shrugged and pulling a dull axe off a table sat down at the grindstone and began to sharpen it. "Sorry, just got caught up in a little snowball fight with the guys." He said._

 _Gobber nodded wistfully and said "Ah, I remember when ah' still had me other hand. Ah' could throw a snowball and knock a Terror out of the sky. Ah' was the best snowball fighter on Berk, next to Jokul Frosti of course."  
_

 _Hiccup looked up from the grindstone "Who?"_

 _Gobber finished screwing in a new hook and said "Jokul Frosti. He's the winter spirit that brings all the frost and snowfall during wintertime. You know when you first walk outside and a cold wind is nippin' at yer nose? That's Jokul Frosti."_

 _Hiccup raised an eyebrow "And…he's the best snowball fighter, too?"_

 _"Right!"_

 _Hiccup smiled and shook his head at his teacher's antics. This was the guy that believed that trolls stole his socks._

 _After Hiccup helped Gobber at his workshop he went out flying with Toothless._

 _The young Viking and the Night Fury glided over the ocean, zooming past spires of rock jutting out of the ocean. "Jokul Frosti? Pshh, first trolls, then the BoneKnapper, now snowball spirits."_ _Hiccup said from atop the dragons back._ _Toothless grumbled and tilted his head to the side to look at Hiccup out of the corner of his eye. Hiccup sighed "Okay, the BoneKnapper was real, but I'm seriously beginning to worry about Gobber's mental state. I mean, Jokul Frosti nipping at your nose? That sounds ridiculous! Next thing you know he'll be saying that-"_

 _Hiccup never got to finish that sentence._

 _A snowball had just smacked into the back of his head._

 _The surprise of it alone was enough to make Hiccup lurch forward and accidentally shift Toothless's tailfin mechanism. The dragon immediately lost balance and dropped a few feet out of the air before Hiccup reset the fin into the proper alignment and stabilized them. Toothless spun around and flapped his powerful wings to keep them hovering midair. Hiccup scanned the open air in an attempt to find what was responsible for the snowball and found…nothing. Nothing but open air and sea._

 _Hiccup opened his mouth to speak when another_ _snowball_ _appeared out of thin air and hit him smack dab in the face._

 _"Puh, bleh, what the heck…?" Hiccup sputtered. Suddenly he felt Toothless tense up beneath him. The dragon let out a low growl. "What's the matter bud?" he asked. Toothless responded by hissing and snarling at the air in front of them._

 _A trickle of slush ran down the front of Hiccup's collar and his thoughts went back what Gobber had told him._

 _"Jokul Frosti…?" He whispered under his breath._

 _Hiccup blinked…and he was there._

 _His caplet billowed in the wind that kept him aloft. Snow white hair, pale skin, and bright blue eyes. In his hand he carried a shepherd's staff tinged with blue ice and frost. His mouth was set in an annoyed frown as he focused on the neon blue light erupting from his outstretched palm. A perfect snowball appeared in his hand. He was talking to himself, sounding rather offended._

 _"Ridiculous, huh? I'll show you ridiculous. And my name's not Jokul Frosti, its Jack Frost!"_

 _And with that he hurled his snowball at Hiccup. Toothless saw the projectile coming a mile away and flapped to the side to avoid it. The Night Fury hissed at the floating spirit before opening maw and firing a warning shot. Jokul Frosti strafed to the side to avoid the fireball. "Toothless, no!" Hiccup shouted._

 _The boy's gaze snapped up from the dragons to Hiccup's. Blue eyes narrowed, widened, and gained a glint of…hope?_

 _He began to speak "Can…can you-"_

 ** _"ROAR!"_**

 _Toothless cut him off, and with a single flap of his mighty wings he shot toward the boy with lightning fast speed. The boy let out a surprised "Whoa!" and turned midair and flew away from the dragon who immediately gave chase. Hiccup did his best to calm his reptilian friend to no avail "Toothless, wait, calm down-whoa!" Hiccup had no choice but to help his dragon fly after his quarry or risk falling into the ocean. The boy arced up into a vertical climb with Toothless, and by default, Hiccup, hot on his heels with his rider pleading for him to stop all the way._

 _"Call off the stupid dragon!" the boy yelled. Toothless took obvious offense and shot another fireball which he narrowly dodged._

 _"I'm trying!" Hiccup responded._

 _The boy looked over his shoulder at Hiccup with wide eyes "You can hear me!" he exclaimed. Toothless snapped at one of his bare feet and the boy dropped straight down in a vertical descent. Toothless snarled and dived after him._

 _The boy sounded exuberant "You can see me, too!"_

 _Hiccup didn't know whether to be terrified, confused or both. "Yes, I can! Am I not supposed to or something?" he yelled over the whistling wind. His sarcasm was lost as the boy yelled back "I don't know! No one can!" He corkscrewed out of the way of another fireball and called "Hey, what's your name?"_

 _Toothless roared and flapped harder to pursue his target. That was when Hiccup had enough. "Okay, that's it!" He grabbed Toothless's saddle and pulled up with everything he had. Toothless had no other choice to respond and flared his wings to stop. Hiccup's foot clicked the pedal and manipulated the prosthetic fin "Come on, stop trying to kill the flying kid, please?" Toothless sounded his disagreement on the subject but stopped resisting and complied with Hiccup's control, shooting one last glare at the boy behind him._

 _They touched down on a rock spire with a flattened top. Hiccup let out a breath of relief. "Okay, now that that's over-"_

 _"That was awesome!"_

 _Hiccup looked up to see the boy floating above the edge of the spire. He looked absolutely thrilled. His eyes were wide and his toothy grin threatened to split his face. Toothless immediately started growling again. Hiccup got off the Night Fury and stepped in front of him to stare into his eyes "Buddy, calm down! It's okay, bud, it's okay." Toothless's growls reduced to a low rumble and his pupils filled out._

 _Hiccup looked back at the boy who was still floating there, staring at Hiccup with something akin to wonder._

 _Hiccup spoke "Who are you?" he asked. The boy faltered "Wha-what do you mean? You don't know who I am?" he asked in a confused tone. Hiccup glanced at Toothless who still eyed the boy with trepidation "Well, yeah." He said "You just sorta appeared out of thin air."_

 _The boy slowly floated to the rocky ground "I'm Jack Frost." He said it as if it should be obvious. Hiccup blinked "Jack Frost? You mean Jokul Frosti?" The boy shook his head "No, no, that's what you Vikings call me. My real name is Jack Frost."_

 _It was Hiccup's turn to sound confused "What?"_

 _Jack Frost shook his head "Never mind, I want to know how you can see me!" Hiccup repeated his earlier question "What?"_

 _Jack took a few steps closer "No one hears me or sees me. I've tried everything, but…" he trailed off, his face adopting an expression Hiccup knew very well._

 _Loneliness._

 _"…No one ever does." Jack finished. Silence reigned._

 _"Well, uh…" Hiccup began. His voice snapped Jack to look at him with his happy grin once more "My name's Hiccup…"_

 _Jack let out a snort._

 _Hiccup scowled "Yeah, I know it's stupid but scary names are supposed to ward off evil."_

 _Jack tried (and failed) to regain his composure "Okay…Hiccup." He finished with another snort. Hiccup crossed his arms "Oh yeah, well what kind of name is Jack Frost?" he asked._

 _Jack's smile faltered once more "I wouldn't know." He said casting a glance at the sky "The moon gave it to me."_

 _Hiccup blinked "The moon?"  
_

 _Jack nodded, eyes dropping to the ground "Yeah. The Man in the Moon. He told me my name when I first woke up."_

 _More silence._

 _Hiccup was the one to break it again "Um…sorry about him." He said patting the dragon "He gets a little overprotective sometimes."Jack gave a shaky laugh and rubbed the back of his head "No, that was my fault. I'm the ones who threw the snowballs. I heard you talking about how I wasn't real and…overreacted I guess."_ _He said sheepishly._

 _Hiccup waved him off "No, no, its…fine." Hiccup had to agree that if no one could see him then he would react pretty badly if someone kept saying he wasn't real, too.  
_

 _It was then that Jack noticed Hiccup's missing leg "Whoa, what happened there?" he asked, pointing his staff at his metal appendage. Hiccup didn't miss a beat "Giant dragon." he responded. Jack's eyes widened "Oh...that must have sucked." he said_ _bluntly_ _._

 _Hiccup chuckled and patted the top of Toothless's head "Actually, it's not that bad." he said. Jack looked between the dragon and Hiccup, eyebrow raised in a silent question. Hiccup shook his head "Oh, no it wasn't Toothless."_

 _Jack looked straight at Toothless with a confused expression "You...you named him Toothless?" he asked incredulously. Hiccup raised an eyebrow "Yeah." he dragged the word out. Jack pointed his staff accusingly at the dragon "That thing is definitely not toothless!" he exclaimed._

 _As if to argue, the dragon in question opened his mouth to reveal empty gums._

 _Jack stared, peering into the dragon's pink mouth "But...that is so weird. I could have sworn he had-" Just then, Toothless's teeth decided to make an appearance and his jaws snapped shut, making Jack jump.  
_

 _Hiccup finished Jack's sentence with a chuckle "-Teeth? Yeah I thought that the first time, too."_

 _Jack blinked as he processed this new information "Retractable teeth…cool!" He said. Then he gave Hiccup a look "You still haven't answered my question." He told him._

 _Hiccup responded with "Huh?"_

 _Jack waved his arms up and down "How can you see me?!"_

 _"Oh, uh…" Hiccup began lamely. "Well, I guess it started like this..." He told Jack about the snowball fight with his friends. Jack had laughed and said he was the one who started it. Then Hiccup finished up with how Gobber told him the story of Jokul Frosti. When he finished Hiccup said "Hey, Gobber believes in Jokul Frosti, maybe he can see you too!"_

 _Jack laughed sadly "This isn't my first time coming to Berk. I've been all over the whole village and no one has ever see me. I think this Gobber guy was just pulling your leg." He said, looking down at the ground in despair._

 _More awkward silence. And Hiccup broke it again._

 _"Well, that's not the case anymore."_

 _Jack looked up at him._

 _He continued "I mean, I can see you. So, that's one person who can. Two if you count Toothless."_

 _Jack's gaze went from Hiccup, to the dragon, then back to Hiccup. He smiled "Yeah, I guess you're right." He said softly._

 _Hiccup straightened and clapped his hands together "So, uh, I should probably be heading back. You can come with me if you want and, uh…hang out?" he asked._

 _Jack's smile widened and he back flipped onto the top of his staff and perched there like a bird "Are you kidding me? The first person who can see me since I first woke up wants me to hang out? Of course I do!" He hopped into the air and kicked his staff into his hand with his foot "Come on, Hiccup, I'll race ya!"_

 _Jack let out a whoop of delight and took off leaving Hiccup alone with Toothless. Then Hiccup's inner competitor woke up "You hear that bud, he wants a race?" Toothless huffed in anticipation and Hiccup climbed onto the saddle and strapped himself in "Then let's give him a race." Toothless roared and took off in a black blur after the winter spirit once more._

After that, Jack began hanging around Berk a lot more. More specifically, around Hiccup. In turn, the island got a little more snow than usual but it was nothing the Viking weren't used to. Jack and Hiccup became fast friends soon after they met each other, although Toothless was still mad at Jack for throwing a snowball at his rider.

However, their friendship was a strange one at first. People often asked Hiccup who he was talking to when, to them, no one else was there. It also took a while for Hiccup to get used to seeing people walk _through_ Jack. His father often asked why he'd find frost all over the inside of his son's room (and occasionally in his beard when he'd wake up) which Hiccup couldn't really explain to his father without sounding crazy. And whenever Toothless and Jack got into one of their little 'trysts' they'd chase one another across the village leaving frost and fire in their wake.

But besides all of that, Jack proved a good friend. He was always there to lend an ear to listen when Hiccup was having a rough day or find a way to make him smile when he was feeling down. He was also fun to race against as well.

So, when Jack had found out Stoick asked Hiccup to go out and explore new lands, he begged Hiccup to let him come with him. It went a little something like this.

 _"CanIgo?CanIgo?Pleasepleasepleasepleasepleasepleeeeeeeeaaasssssssssseeeeeee?!"_

He had no choice but to agree.

Hiccup was brought out of his musings by Jack tapping his good foot with the butt of his staff. "Hey, you okay?" Jack asked.

"Huh? Oh, yeah, just thinking."

Jack gave a fake shudder and stepped back with his hands in the air "Oh no, not again!"

Hiccup chuckled and pushed himself up "Well, I think it is about time we get moving." He said wiping stray dirt from his hands. As he picked up the wicker basket, Jack jumped a foot in the air and cheered "Yes! I can't wait to show around! We'll go everywhere! Everywhere and anywhere!"

Hiccup looked up from fastening the basket to Toothless's saddle "You do know this is a month long trip, right? I don't think you'll be able to show me everywhere in a month." He deadpanned.

Jack's enthusiasm wasn't deterred. He smiled and spun his staff in a circle "In that case we'll have to be quick, then…" he paused and floated into the air "…if you can keep up." He finished smirking down at Hiccup.

Hiccup raised an eyebrow "Really? You do remember what you're dealing with here." He gestured to Toothless "A Night Fury, the Unholy Offspring of Lightning and Death itself? Emphasis on the Lightning part?" He tried to sound casual but couldn't keep the smile off his face. They'd been through this routine before and both knew how it ended, but neither could resist partaking in it.

Jack shrugged, feigning innocence and honesty "All I see is an overgrown lizard and a skinny kid." He taunted with a shrug.

Hiccup climbed onto Toothless's saddle smiled slyly up at Jack "Oh it's on now, frosty!" he said.

Jack smiled back "Whatever you say, Hic!"

A second later, the young Viking and his dragon took to the skies in pursuit of the Winter Spirit, leaving only a gust of wind and a trail of snowflakes behind them.

* * *

 **And the adventure begins!**

 **I had fun writing this chapter. Jack's mischievous demeanor and Hiccup's dry sense of humor make for interesting conversations between them. I tried to focus on their personalities and how'd they speak as if they were actually talking to one another or else it sounds forced to me.**

 **If any of you are wondering why Toothless could see Jack right off the bat, here's why: He's an animal. Albeit a dragon but he's not a human. Remember the scene in Rise Of The Guardians where Jamie's greyhound chases Bunny around the room? She saw the Guardians right away.**

 **So, animals can see spirits resurrected by the Man in the Moon, and Toothless being one, can too.**

 **Now…to all of you who are disappointed in the lack of Hicstrid, I am sorry. It's not that I have a problem with Hiccup & Astrid pairing, I love it in cannon, but, for the sake of the ROTBTD universe, Hiccup is going to be paired with someone else. **

**I have a lot of plans for this fic, and I want to write a Big 4 story that followed a plot line that made sense rather than a jumbled mix of ideas and chance (Like my other stories) so I'll make sure I at least try and make it realistic.** **Till next time!**

 **Yours truly-bob the kraken**


	3. Chapter 3

**(DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN DISNEY'S OR DREAMWORKS BRAVE, TANGLED, RISE OF THE GUARDIANS, OR HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON)**

 **140: Thank you  
**

 **140 : Thank you**

 **Guest : I'm taking my time. I already prewritten this chapter anyway a while ago? Ever hear of writers block? If you have an idea for AVPE, PM me, don't expect me to update just like that. **

* * *

Thunder boomed overhead and lighting bleached the sky white. Sheets of rain and wind buffeted Hiccup and Toothless as they struggled to stay storm had come out nowhere; a mass of dark, ominous clouds that brought forth a thunderstorm that seemed to be handmade by Thor himself.

"Hiccup!"

Hiccup barely heard his name over the howling downpour. Jack's white hair was easy to track through the darkness around them. He flew alongside Hiccup, trying to stay with him.

"Jack!" Hiccup yelled "We need to get out of this storm!"

"I know!" Jack yelled back "But I don't think there's any land nearby!" Jack scanned below fruitlessly. Nothing but dark ocean churned below them.

They had been flying for a whole day. Hiccup wanted to reach Berk's borders so they could start mapping new regions by nightfall. So far, it had been nothing but ocean with no signs of land. They'd stopped and rested on rock formations or ice floes created by Jack, but the three kept pushing forward. Then the storm appeared and now they were in trouble.

"Jack, you've gotta find us land! I don't think Toothless's tail can take much more of this!" Hiccup yelled.

"How?"

"Ask the wind!"

Jack face palmed and muttered to himself "I am so stupid. Alright, Hiccup, stay close to me!" Jack spoke to the open air "Wind, take us to land!" The wind whipped around Jack and carried him down out of the clouds. Toothless folded his wings and dived after him, Hiccup holding on for dear life.

* * *

A girl ran through the forest.

Her blue gown was drenched and frayed and did little to protect her from the downpour. Wild red curls were plastered against her round face along with a cluster of light freckles across her nose. Round, crystal blue eyes were narrowed in annoyance as she trudged through the rain.

"Mum's gonna kill me." Merida DunBroch thought to herself.

Her horse, Angus, had caught a bit of a cold and not wanting to push the poor animal, Merida had decided it would be fun to go out for her usual morning archery practice by herself...on foot! Everything was just going grand until the storm blew up.

Now, usually Merida would have no trouble getting back home in a in a storm. She knew the forest like the back of her hand. The problem was the lightning.

More specifically, the bolt of lightning that struck one of the trees in her path and sent it falling towards her in a shower of sparks. The flash alone half blinded her; the tree on the other hand had her scrambling to get out of the way. She avoided being flattened but wound up tripping and rolling down an embankment and into a creek.

When she got out, she realized she had no idea where she was.

If it wasn't so dark out she might have been able to spot some familiar landmarks, but no. Now here she was; wandering like a lost child, soaked to the bone, and very, _very,_ annoyed at her fate. Well, she changed her fate once and she would do it again as many times as she liked, thank you very much! Now if only she could see properly again! She was still seeing spots from the flash. Little blue spots actually…wait a minute…

Merida blinked and rubbed her eyes. There, not two feet away from her was a little ball of blue fire floating above the ground.

A Whisp!

Merida remembered her first time meeting the spirits of fate when she was still a 'wee lass' and then again last summer when they led her to a witch's cottage in the forest after she had ran away from home. Merida had found out that she was going to be married off to one of the sons from the three neighboring clans. Desperate to change her fate, Merida had fired the arrow that decided her fate in the archery competition that decided who would win her hand. Her mother had thrown her bow into the fireplace soon after.

Her mother, Queen Elinor had always tried to mold her into a perfect, obedient princess that abides by every little rule of etiquette. But Merida had no interest in any of that. She wanted to spend the rest of her days flying through the forest on her horse firing arrows into the sun, to climb Crone's Tooth and drink from the Fire-Falls when the sunlight turned the water from blue to gold; she wanted to be free the rest of her life!

So, when she found the witch's cottage, she begged the witch to give her something that would change her fate, and with some good-ol'-fashion persuasion (bribery), she got her way. However, she never expected that it would involve her mother getting turned into a bear!

After narrowly getting caught by her lovable bear hunting father, King Fergus, her and mama beat escaped to the forest. They bonded there, formed a new connection that helped heal the rift between mother and daughter. She also narrowly got eaten by Mor'du, the demon bear that took her father's left leg.

To rectify the witches spell she had to mend the bond between her and her mother before the next sunrise or she would stay as a bear forever. What was worse was that Elinor was losing her human nature and becoming an actual bear. Merida needed to repair the tapestry her mother had made. The one Merida had destroyed in her rage. But when she finally did repair it, her mother, who was still a bear, was captured by her Da's hunting party. Merdia managed to get there just in time, but then Mor'du attacked.

They managed to slay the demon bear and end his curse; for Mor'du was once a man who asked the same witch for the strength of ten men and, like her mother, got turned into a bear. Merida would never forget the apparition of a man standing above the body of a dead bear, eyes full of thanks and eternal gratitude.

Then the sun rose, and her mother turned back into a woman. After that, the three clans returned home, Merida didn't have to marry anyone, and her relationship with her mother was stronger than it had ever been. She even rode alongside Merida on horseback, now, and helped Fergus make a new bow for her. It was a perfect replica of the old one, albeit a wee bit bigger for her sixteen year old self. Although it wasn't much help now. The Whisps on the other hand…

The tiny Whisp let out that eerie, child-like whisper that they made and floated backwards, motioning for her to come. Merida idly wondered if it was the spirit of Mor'du, guiding her to safety. If not, well, the Whisps hadn't led her completely astray before. She shook some wet curls out of her eyes and hurried after the trail of blue lights leading into the forest.

After what seemed like hours trudging through wind, rain, and brush, Merida found herself staring at the ruins of a familiar castle. "Mor'du?" she asked the Whisp in front of her. Sure enough, the dilapidated castle where Mor'du once lived was a human and as a bear lay outlined against the black sky. Lightning flashed and Merida saw that the trail of Whisps were leading to an opening in the side of the stonework. Merida breathed a sigh of relief. Finally, she would get out of the rain! Merida hurried to it and stepped inside.

The first thing she noticed was the light. The last time she had been here, the forgotten castle had been dank, dark, and cold; the den of the demon bear, Mor'du. Now, the soft glow of firelight played with shadows on the wall just around the corner of the crumbling passageway.

The second thing she noticed was that she was not alone.

She could hear someone talking. "This place smells like wet sheep." A pause and then "What do you mean it's not that bad? Its dark, its cold, its wet, and there are _bones_ , literally, everywhere! Look, there's a skull, right there! If whatever lives here comes back and eats us, I'm blaming you." Merida peeked her head around the corner and saw a boy sitting in front of a fire that had been dug out in the floor.

He was skinny, and looked to be her age, with auburn hair that hung just above his eyebrows and forest green eyes that stared at the empty spot next to him. He was dripping wet like she was, as if he had just come in to escape the rainstorm outside. Then Merida took note of his clothes, which were woolen green long-sleeved shirt and pants. He had his elbow propped up against his right knee and Merida raised an eyebrow at his fur boot. Merida also took note of the wicker basket that was propped up against the large slab of rock the boy was leaning against.

He spoke again to the empty air "Because you're the one who brought us here!" Merida frowned. Was he mad? The boy rolled his eyes and smiled "Oh, sure, blame the wind, Jack!"

Merida took a half step back. Maybe coming here wasn't such a good idea. Her foot slipped on a cluster of loose stones and she stumbled forward with a quiet gasp.

And the rock the boy was leaning against opened its eye.

A huge, acid green eye with a slit pupil like a cat or a snake's locked with hers and the 'rock' began to growl; a deep, rumbling, hissing sound that sent chills up Merida's spine. It slowly rose to its feet and shifted to face her. Lips curled back into a snarl that revealed triangular teeth the size of her fist. Huge bat-like wings shifted and a long tail lashed behind it in agitation. The creature was so black in color and blended in with the surrounding darkness so well that Merida hadn't noticed the specific details about it before. She just assumed it was just a slab of stone!

The boy turned to look at the thing behind him "Toothless, what's wrong?" He followed the beast's line of sight, saw her, and let out a startled "Ah!" He scrambled to his feet. Merida did the same and drew an arrow from her quiver and notched it in her bow. She picked the biggest threat; the black beast that was crouched and ready to pounce.

But right before she fired, the boy jumped in between her and the monster and held out his hands in a pleading gesture. "Nopleasewait!" He said hurriedly. The monster tried to get around him but he turned and raised his hands up to it in a calming motion "Easy, Toothless, easy! It's okay!" Merida still had her arrow trained on the monster. She didn't want to hit the boy but she would protect herself.

The monster opened its mouth, reared up on its hind legs and…slipped?

A slick patch of ice had materialized under the creature, and when it stood, it lost its balance and fell with a thud that shook the ruins. It scrambled back onto all fours and snarled at the air above it. The boy muttered something that sounded like "Jack, what you are doing?" and tracked whatever he and the creature were seeing over to Merida. She looked up just as a blast of cold wind ruffled her mass of curly hair and tickled her nose. She suddenly felt giddy inside, happy, and slowly eased the tension on her bow.

Merida blinked. What was she doing?

There was a monster that would make even a bear pause in its tracks not several yards away from her! But still, she returned the arrow to its quiver and shouldered her bow.

The boy kept his eyes on hers, not moving an inch. The creature behind him did the same. He whispered something out of the corner of his mouth that sounded like "What did you do?" Merida furrowed her brow. There was _way_ too much strangeness going on here! The boy seemed to listen to whatever imaginary person he was talking to then focused back on her.

He gave her a crooked smile and said "Uh, hi!" offering a wave "Um…heh…ah…well…uh, this is awkward."

Understatement of the year.

He continued "I, uh, take it you've never seen a dragon before?"

Merida furrowed her brow and blinked. "What?" she deadpanned.

"A dragon. You know; big, flying, fire breathing lizard?"

Merida's eyes widened "A dragon?" she asked. The boy nodded.

Merida forced her voice to remain calm "Who…who are ye?" she asked. He was obviously not from Scotland. Scenarios ran through her head involving new invaders from the over sea, except these ones rode giant flying reptiles. This could be the start of a whole new invasion! She had to warn her father! Get him to warn the other clans, get them to-

"My name';s Hiccup."

And just like that, her train of thought came crashing to a stop.

Merida blinked "Wha'?" she repeated.

'Hiccup' laughed sheepishly and scratched the back of his head. "Yeah, I know, it's wierd, but I didn't really have a choice in the matter."

Again, _what?_

"Uh, this is Toothless," he said, motioning to the dragon " Don't worry, he won't hurt you, I promise. You don't need to be afraid." He assured her. Merida eyed the beast warily. The creature rumbled and snorted smoke through its nostrils.

Merida frowned "I'm nae scared of em'." She argued. Merida suddenly shivered, suddenly realizing how chilly she was. Hiccup noticed her actions and sat back down by the flames "You can sit over here if you want." He said "Its warmer, and it'll help you dry off."

Merida hesitated. Why should she trust getting closer to this strange boy and his _dragon?!_ But then again, she was rather cold. And that fire looked rather warm and inviting…

Cautiously, she walked forward. The dragon now lay curled behind Hiccup, watching her every move. Merida sat down in front of the fire pit, angled so she could see them both.

"So, uh…what's your name?" he asked.

Merida glanced at him while she warmed her hands "Merida." She said "Merida DunBroch."

Hiccup scooted around towards Merida "Hiccup Haddock Horrendous III." He said, holding out his hand. Merida's lips twitched upwards as she shook it "Yer name's rather…"

"Strange?" Hiccup finished "I know, but where I'm from, scary names are supposed to ward off evil." Merida raised her eyebrow and narrowed her eyes at him "So, yer nae from around here." She clarified.

Hiccup gave a sheepish chuckle "Yeah…funny story! We got caught in the storm and had to land. Uh, where are we, exactly?"

Merida satup straighter. "You're in Scotland, inside the territory of clan DunBroch."Then she realized what he said "Wait ye…ye _flew_ here on 'em?"

Hiccup looked up at the dragon "Yep." he said "Toothless needs me to fly. He hurt his tail fin a while back and I built him a new one." Merida then saw the metal harnesses around the dragon's torso and the red leather fin with a white skull wearing a horned helmet embroidered across it.

Hiccup shifted and metal scraped across the floor. Merida looked down towards Hiccup's foot…or lack of one. Where his left foot should have been, there was a squared peg and spring inside a metal slot. All of that was attached to a wooden peg.

"Och, yer leg!" she exclaimed "Wha' happened?"

Hiccup blinked and looked down at his fake leg. "Oh this?" he said. He turned his smile back up to the dragon again "I guess I have him to thank for this. You couldn't save all of me, now could ya, buddy?" he said scratching him under the chin. Toothless preened at the attention and cooed softly. Hiccup turned back to Merida "Long story short, I lost it in when me and Toothless fought against a giant dragon queen."

Merida blinked. Wow. Looks like her Da's leg-loss story had a challenger. "Me Da' lost his to a bear, same leg, too. He brags about it every chance he gets." She said.

Hiccup smiled and shrugged "Where I'm from, stuff like that is considered an occupational hazard."

Merida cocked her head to the side and raised an eyebrow "Where are ye from, anyway?"

Hiccup seemed thrown by the question because he took a while to answer "Well, I live on an island to the north. We call it Berk. It's a few degrees north of freezing and a few degrees south of hopeless." He smiled at his own joke. "My father sent me and Toothless out to expand our map now that we're at peace with the dragons."

"Dragons?" Merida echoed.

Hiccup nodded "The whole island's full of them. Dragons used to be a bit of a problem, but now they've all moved in!" he said it as if he couldn't believe it and patted Toothless's flank. Then he suddenly his face fell and he rolled his eyes "Along with one annoying spirit." He said looking off the side, "Yes, I know she can't see you." he added.

Merida raised her eyebrow again and asked the question she'd been wanting to ask for the past five minutes "Who are ye talkin' to?" she asked. He looked at her. "Ya know there's no one there." Merida clarified, pointing off next to Hiccup.

Hiccup stared off in that direction for a few seconds and raised his eyebrow "Watch me." he said to the air. He turned back to her "Okay, what I'm about to tell you will make me sound crazy."

Merida eyed him "You've been doin' fine by yerself."

Hiccup continued "Actually, there _is_ someone there. You just can't see him." He pointed to the space he was talking to a second ago "His name is Jack Frost. He's the spirit who's responsible for bringing winter…" he paused, listening to 'Jack Frost' "Okay, _helps_ bring winter." Hiccup corrected with a smile "He also causes _absolute chaos_ where ever he goes!" Hiccup looked towards the empty air with a raised eyebrow "Oh really? What about the time with the sheep and the Nadder? Or the time when all the men in the village woke up with ice in their beards? Or the other time when I slipped on ice and went sliding all the way down to the edge of the docks and nearly fell into the ocean…No it was not fun, I nearly drowned!" Hiccup rolled his eyes and looked back at Merida "Anyway, you can only see him if you believe he's real. I know it sounds crazy but…"

Merida shook her head "Nae, I believe ya."

Hiccup blinked "What?"

Merida nodded "Ye seem te be tellin' the truth." It made sense, anyway. The dragon slipping on ice that appeared out of nowhere, the gusts of cold wind in an underground castle. Plus, Merida had seen Whisps, witches, her mother and brothers get turned into _bears_ and back again…one does not witness such things and not gain an open mind. This Jack Frost person just might not be a figment of the boys imagination after all.

"Just give up, Hic, she won't be able to see me."

Merida looked over to where the new voice interjected and there, perched on a chunk of stone like a bird, was a boy with pale skin and white hair. Merida blinked. He had _not_ been there before. The newcomer smiled and pointed at Merida with his staff "It's a surprise she can see anything at all through all that hair."

Merida blinked, frowned, and glared dully at the newcomer "Oi, Frosty, ye know I'm sittin' right here. And ye really don't have room to talk when yer hair's the color of milk." She said, ignoring both Jack and Hiccup's dumbstruck expressions.

Jack gaped at Merida "You…you can see me?"

Merida folded her arms "Yes, ah can."

Jack's eyes sparkled with hope and happiness. He grinned from ear to ear and did a back flip into the air cheering "Whoo-hoo! Yes!"

Merida jumped at his reaction and looked to Hiccup for answers.

"We're the only ones who've ever seen him since he woke up." He said

Merida frowned "Woke up?"

Hiccup shrugged "I don't know. That's all he ever told me." They turned their attention back to Jack who was busy doing loop-de-loops through the air around Toothless who looked like he wanted to nail him with a fireball. "He can fly by the way." Hiccup said seeing Merida's surprised expression.

Jack landed on the floor next to Merdia in a crouch and frost began curling out from under his bare feet. His blue eyes shone with joy "You can see me!" he breathed. Merida giggled "Aye."

Hiccup looked between them with a confused expression "You're taking this rather well." he told Merida slowly.

She shrugged "Ah've seen stranger." she admitted.

Hiccup blinked. "Like what?" he was afraid to ask "What could be stranger than a seeing a dragon for the first time and an invisible spirit?"

Merida tilted her head to the side with a thoughtful expression and counted the things off on her fingers "Well, for starters there's the Whisps, a demon bear, a witch, me mum and me three brothers getting turned into bears, and...that's about it!" she finished up cheerfully.

Hiccup, Jack, and even Toothless stared at her for a long time.

"Wow." Jack deadpanned.

"You're mom and brothers got turned into _bears_?" Hiccup said, disbelievingly.

"Ah turned 'em back though." She added.

"…Turned them _back_?"

Merida laughed sheepishly "It's complicated." She said.

Jack gave a low chuckle and flipped onto the top of his staff "More complicated than a winter spirit, dragon rider, and a frizzy-haired ginger swapping stories in an abandoned castle?" he said. Merida glared at him for teasing her about her hair again. She wondered how he'd react if she told him that she was the _princess_ of the surrounding territory they were swapping stories in.

Hiccup, however, was still stuck on what Merida had said "Wait a minute, wait a _minute._ You mean… _you_ turned your _mom_ and your _brothers_ …into _bears_?"

Merida scratched at her curls, embarrassed "Ah didn' mean too! Ah mean, when the witch said she'd change mah fate ah didn' know she'd…she'd…" she trailed off.

"…Turn your mom into a bear?" Jack supplied. Merida pursed her lips and folded her arms "Aye."

Hiccup, however, was still trying to wrap his head around the whole subject of the conversation "Hold on, so, a _witch_ turned your mom and brothers into bears?" he asked.

Merida gave a sheepish laugh "Ah, well, _ah_ was the one who fed her the cake."

"Cake?" Hiccup asked incredulously.

"A magic cake." Merida clarified.

Hiccup started to look at Merida like _she_ was crazy.

Merida threw her arms in the air "Och, dinnae look at' me like that! It came outta her cauldron, how was ah suppose ta know what witches use to make magic cakes?" she said exasperatedly.

"I don't know, I'm still trying to understand how your _mom and brothers got turned into bears_!"

"Well they each ate ah piece of the cake-"

"-The _magic_ cake!" Jack interjected holding his finger up in the air.

"Ah fed me mum the first slice but me brothers ate the rest."

"And they turned into bears?" Hiccup asked skeptically "Just like that? One bite and poof! Fur, claws, teeth, the whole deal?"

"Well, they went to sleep first."

Jack chuckled.

Hiccup raised an eyebrow "Yeah, because after I eat a magic cake, nothing feels better than a nice long nap. Side-effects may include bear transformations"

Merida groaned "Look, ah managed to turn 'em all back in the end! If ah knew they were gonna turn into bears I'd never brought the stupid cake home!"

 _"Magic_ cake!" Jack reminded them, again.

"…Why bears?" Hiccup deadpanned looking at the floor.

"Are we seriously still on abou' this?" groaned Merida, who wanted nothing more than for the conversation to be over with. "Pretty much, yeah." Jack answered. Merida gave him an annoyed scowl. Jack's smirk widened. He found teasing her fun. Hiccup was still on a rant.

"I mean, of all things, why _bears_? What the heck did she put in the," he forced the words out " _magic cake_ that turned them into bears? Is it always bears or did she have, like, sheep biscuits or yak cookies, too?"

"I could go for a yak cookie." Jack said thoughtfully.

"Well, she was a bit obsessed 'em." Merida remembered all of the intricate woodcarvings of ursine figures surrounding the inside of the witch's cottage.

"Yak cookies?" Jack asked.

"No, bears!"

"...Bear cookies?"

Jack was seriously beginning to annoy her. "No," she growled "Just. Regular. Bears."

Jack feigned a relived sigh "Whew, good. Bear cookies don't make any sense anyway."

Merida stared at him with a dull, exaspereated expression on her face "Seriously?" she deadpanned.

Jack nodded, looking completely serious. Merida looked over to Hiccup who was looking away from them and covered his smile with his hand. She looked back at Jack who was smirking down at her impishly. He was teasing her again.

"I'm done with all of ya." She declared with a roll of her eyes.

Hiccup and Jack let out suppressed chuckles. Eventually, Merida couldn't fight the smile that was beginning to form on her face and they all promptly burst into laughter as the storm raged on outside.

* * *

An hour later, Jack flew out of a large hole in the side of the castle. Nothing but blue skies and sunshine greeted him. "Alright guys, come on out!" he said. A second later, Toothless flew out and glided to the ground, Hiccup and Merida on his back .

"Well that was fun!" Merida said as she slid off the dragon's saddle. Hiccup rubbed the Night Fury's neck "You should see him in the air." he said proudly. Toothless warbled appreciably.

Merida brushed off the front of her now dry skirt and readjusted her bow and quiver. She took one look at the surrounding trees and frowned. Jack landed next to her and copied her expression.

"You alright?" he asked lightly.

Merida hummed thoughtfully. "I don' know this part of the forest too well. I was supposed ta be home last night but ah got lost." She huffed "Ah'm never gonna hear the end ah this one. Now ah'm gonna hafta wander around till ah find my way back." She said grumpily. Jack and Hiccup shared a look and looked back at Merida who was surveying the trees with her hands on her hips.

"Uh, Merida?" asked Hiccup. Merida turned around and he gestured to the back of Toothless. "I can take you back if you want. There is room for two on here." He patted the leather. Merida blinked. She seemed to be doing a lot of that recently. "Really?" she was genuinely surprised at Hiccups offer "You'd let me ride him?"

Hiccup nodded in agreement "Yeah. I mean, if you want to. I know it seems a little scary, but don't worry; it's just… uh…" Hiccup trailed off as Merida marched right past him and up to the dragon with an eager smile. Upon reaching the Night Fury she looked into his slitted eyes and said "As long as it's alright wit' him."

Toothless eyed her for a whole minute, acid green eyes staring into her blue. Finally, his pupils filled out and he snorted smoke through his nose, bumping his snout against her stomach. Merida smiled wider "I take that as a yes." And she climbed into the saddle behind Hiccup and in between the wicker basket with ease without a single protest from Toothless.

Hiccup looked over his shoulder at her "You're not afraid of him?" he asked.

Merida shook her head "Nae, I'm not afraid. He's just like a horse; all you need is to show 'em a li'l respect." She at scratched his scales in little circles, earning a happy coo from the dragon.

Hiccup looked back around and gave her a small smile. Wow. He was glad Toothless liked her and amazed that he let her mount him. He was also happy that Merida wasn't afraid. It was nice to think that not all people are afraid of what they don't understand, namely dragons.

Then Merida slipped her arms around Hiccup's waist and he tensed slightly.

Her arms loosened "You alright?" she asked.

"Fine!" he lied. It was just that he was reminded of how Astrid used to do that when they had first ridden on Toothless together, how surprised he had felt when she'd circled her arms around his midriff and sighed into his shoulder.

He shook away the old memories. "Just, uh, hold on tight." She did just that.

"Ready when you are." She said.

Hiccup looked down at Toothless "Ready, bud?" The dragon huffed an affirmative and spread his wings. Hiccup looked over his shoulder at Merida who smiled back at him and nodded, her arms griping ever so tighter around him. Toothless crouched lower and with one fluid movement shot up into the air.

Merida let out a startled squeak and gripped even tighter onto Hiccup and closed her eyes, her bright orange hair whipping behind her. Hiccup winced against her surprisingly strong grip. As Merida got over the feeling that she had left her stomach on the ground, she opened her eyes and gasped at the sight that greeted her.

Toothless leveled out and glided along at a steady cruise above the Scottish forest. A sea of green was all she could see. The sky and clouds seemed so much closer. She laughed at the sight of a hawk flying just few yards above her head. The wind teased her hair as Jack flew along next to them "Pretty cool, huh." He asked her with a smirk.

"Is this wha' it's like for you two, all the time?" she asked in an awed voice.

"Yep." Answered Hiccup as he scanned the treetops below. He stiffened as he felt Merida lean against his shoulder.

"This is incredible!" she breathed.

Hiccup swallowed and continued looking for any signs of civilization "So, can you see your house from here?" he asked.

Merida was so transfixed by the open air that she had forgotten why she was up here in the first place "Oh, um…" she bit her lip and trailed off, looking around for any familiar landmarks. She found one; the river that she and mama bear had fished in. It brought back fond memories. It looked like a blue line that cut through the green below. Now, if that was there, then Dun'Broch would be…

"That way!" she said, pointing east from their position.

"You sure?" Hiccup asked over his shoulder. Merida nodded and Hiccup patted Toothless in the direction Merida pointed. The dragon flapped his wings once and Merida nearly fell off the saddle at the increase in speed. She wrapped her arms around Hiccup again. "You okay?" he asked. Merida nodded against his shoulder.

Of course, Jack took that moment to add his opinion of the situation at hand "You two look so cute together." He said as he flew sideways next to the dragon.

Hiccup and Merida both immediately sat bolt upright in the saddle.

"Leave her alone, Jack." Hiccup tried to sounds serious but the effect was ruined by his pink cheeks.

Jack's carefree laughter drifted around them like the wind "What? It's true! She's all snugly and cozy on your shoulder, it's cute!"

Merida's face was as red as her hair. "Why ye…ye…" she sputtered. She glared at the winter spirit "Jus' wait till ah get me hands on ya!" She threatened.

"You'd have to catch me first!" he taunted, adding fuel to the redhead's fiery temper. Jack flew a few feet away from them to emphasize on the fact she couldn't fly.

The Scot in question growled in anger and shifted so she could see the head of the dragon she was riding on "Toothless, be a luv and keep still for me, will ya?" she said in a sweetened tone. The dragon locked eyes with her and his lips peeled back in a toothy smile, a rumble of approval coming from deep within his throat.

"Uh, Merida, what are doing?" Hiccup asked, looking over his shoulder at her when he felt her release her grip on his waist. His eyes widened when he saw her unsling her bow with one hand and pull an arrow from her quiver with the other, all the while keeping balance on the dragon's back.

Jack's laugh faltered when he saw what she was doing "Uh, come on, Mer, I was joking! Merida?"

She notched an arrow and took aim at him.

Jack yelped in surprise and dropped like a stone out of her line of sight. Merida burst out laughing and eased the tension back on her bow "That's wha' ah thought!" she proclaimed and stuck the arrow back in the quiver and returned her bow to its place on her shoulder.

Jack slowly floated back up, his lips in a thin, unamused look on his pale face "That wasn't funny." He pouted.

"Yes it was." Merida countered.

"No it wasn't!"

"It kinda was." Hiccup agreed with a smile.

"I'll get you back for that." Jack promised. Merida just rolled her eyes and held onto Hiccup again.

Jack opened his mouth to stay something but closed it just as quick. His mischievous smirk came back in an instant. He flew up alongside Hiccup and made kissy faces at him the whole ride to Dun'Broch.

* * *

To say that Queen Elinor was worried was an understatement.

The Princess had not been seen since the morning when she went to practice her archery. Elinor hadn't been too worried when the sound of rain peppered the castle's windows. Her daughter could read the signs of rainfall an hour before the first drop fell. However, when the first thunderclap came, worry began to gnaw at her stomach.

The storm worsened with each passing second. As the hours ticked by Elinor became more and more frantic. Her husband, King Fergus, shared her worry and ordered a search party to gather and look for his daughter. The party spent a whole hour searching fruitlessly for the Princess. The hounds couldn't catch a scent because of the rain and the horses kept getting spooked by the thunder and lightning. Fergus reluctantly called it off saying that they would wait until the storm passes to continue the search. But now that the sky was cleared and there was still no sign of her daughter, Elinor had half a mind to saddle her horse and join Fergus in the search.

"I wan' the men an' the dogs to search from the river ta Crone's Tooth. I don' care if ya hafta tear the whole forest down, Ah'm no' stoppin' till we find her!" Fergus ordered his men as they stood at the edge of the bridge that led into the forest.

A series of "Yes m'lord." rang out and the men rode off into the forest. Fergus released a sigh and turned to Elinor who stood at his side. Although her face remained expressionless, Fergus knew his wife well enough to know that she was deeply upset. He laid a massive hand on her shoulder "We'll find, dear." he reassured her. She relaxed into his touch and leaned against his arm without a word. Fergus pulled his wife into a hug. The Bear King looked up at the sky. He closed his eyes. "Please." he prayed. "Please let 'er be alright."

He opened his eyes just in time to see a black shape swoop overhead. Fergus instinctively tightened his grip around his wife and he nearly broke his neck to follow the thing. It was heading for his castle!

"Fergus?" Elinor asked.

Fergus pointed a meaty finger at the black shape that suddenly circled around just before it reached the walls and began to fly back towards them. Elinor followed his finger and gasped at the sight of the incoming winged creature.

"Mum! Da!"

Fergus' eyes bulged. He'd know the sound of his daughter's voice anywhere.

"Merida!" He and Elinor called at the same time.

The winged creature touched down in the center of the bridge and a mop of curly orange hair slid off its back and ran towards them. Elinor and Fergus gladly ran to intercept. Merida met them midway and found herself in the embrace of her parents.

"Where were you?"

"We were so worried!"

"Are you alright?"

Merida wiggled back so she could look them in the eyes "Mum, Da, I'm fine!" she told them with a smile.

"Wha' happened?" Elinor demanded.

"The storm made me lose me way. I woulda been out there longer if it weren't for them." She turned to smile at Hiccup and Toothless. Fergus and Elinor blinked at the dragon and his rider who waved awkwardly at them "Uh...hi?" Hiccup called.

The King and Queen had no choice but to wave back.

Unseen to all who did not believe in him, Jack touched down on the side of the bridge besides Hiccup "Hey, Hic, it's your dad's cousin!" Jack joked as he balanced himself on the edge of the bridge "And you have matching legs! It must run in the family!"

"Not funny, Jack." Hiccup said.

Merida turned and waved him over to her. "Go on, go meet your girlfriend's parents." Jack taunted. "She's not my girlfriend!" Hiccup groaned and climbed off Toothless' back. He took a deep breath and began towards the King and Queen.

Upon reaching them that Hiccup realized how much that Jack was right; Fergus did resemble his father. They both were large, broad, with beefy arms, and red beards. Although, the Bear King's beard was shorter and paler than his father's orange forest of facial hair. The thought of his father gave him a pang of homesickness.

His wife seemed to be the polar opposite of him. She was tall, thin, with straight brown hair that hung down to her waist. A streak of grey ran down her front bangs on the right side of her head. Hiccup could tell she was trying to expressionless but her eyes betrayed her curiosity. The queen stood with a regal posture and expression only reserved for those of royalty.

Merida grabbed his underarm and pulled him closer towards her parents. It was then that Hiccup learned that King Fergus also shared his father's uncanny ability to block the sun when he stood over you.

"Mum, Da, this is Hiccup." Merida said happily. Merida looked at Hiccup "Hiccup, this is mah mother, Queen Elinor," Elinor nodded in greeting. "And mah father, King Fergus." King Fergus gave him a once over and raised an eyebrow.

Hiccup smiled awkwardly before his thoughts caught up with what Merida said "Wait, King and Queen?" he asked Merida who giggled and stepped forward to stand beside her parents.

Hiccup gawked at her "Then…then that makes you a-"

"Aye." She informed Hiccup "I forgot ta mention me full name." she said in a tone that said she forgot no such thing and stood up a little straighter, a strange fire in her eyes "I am Princess Merida, firstborn of the clan Dun'Broch."

Hiccup stared up at Merida's parents, his mouth hanging open. Jack strolled over and closed it shut "Might want to start groveling, Hic." He said "You're kinda in the presence of royalty here."

Hiccup did just that, bending low on his good knee and dipping his head low offering half form praises and honorifics.

Jack chuckled at Hiccup's expense and eyed Merida who was looking at him expectantly "Hey don't expect me to kiss your feet, Princess, I'm invisible remember?" He said with his trademark smirk. Merida stuck her tongue out at him childishly.

King Fergus cleared his throat "Stand up, lad, yer makin' a fool of yerself." He said. Hiccup shot up and stood straight as one of Merida's arrows. "Yessir." He said.

The royal family stiffened at something that approached from behind him. Hiccup turned to see Toothless lumbering over to them. Hiccup gulped when he saw Fergus' hand move for the sword hung around his waist. Hiccup backed up and stood next to Toothless's side and patted his neck. "It's okay, he won't hurt you." He told them. Toothless sat down and watched at the family with a casual stare.

"Wha'…wha' is it?" Elinor breathed.

"A dragon." Merida answered "Hiccup rides 'em."

The King and Queen stared at Hiccup in surprise. Hiccup rubbed the back of his neck and said "Eh, it's no big deal. Dragons are pretty friendly anyways once you get to know them." He looked back up at Elinor and Fergus "You can touch him if you want." Hiccup said, offering a friendly smile. Toothless copied his actions, shooting them a gummy grin.

Merida looked up at her parents and upon seeing their hesitance decided to take initiative "Well come on!" she said and grabbing her parents wrists, marched them up the black dragon "He don't bite none." She said.

"Says you." Commented Jack from the side.

"Merida-"

"I don't think that-"

She ignored parents protested and right up to the Night Fury that they could feel its breath on their faces. Merida rubbed the dragon's snout and Toothless huffed and playfully butted her shoulder. Merida giggled.

"See? He's just a big softie." She told her parents. To emphasis her point she began scratching the dragon behind his ear fins and along his neck, and the Night Fury cooed from the attention and leaned into her touch.

She turned to her mother "C'mon, mum." She said and pulled her mother's hand up.

Elinor resisted at first, but slowly allowed to her daughter to place her palm on the creatures nose. Elinor marveled at the feel of its scales. She expected them to be rough and bumpy but in fact they were smooth like a snake's. As Elinor's fingers traveled along the dragon's jawline she began to idly scratch. Toothless's eyes fluttered at the feel of the Queen's manicured nails and leaned into her touch.

Elinor smiled "Oh, ye like that, eh?" she asked and scratched further back along his neck and behind his fins. Merida giggled and added her hands to the treatment. Toothless was a purring machine. Then Elinor scratched the sweet spot right under his chin and the Unholy Offspring of Lightning and Death itself collapsed with a pleased purr.

Jack laughed at the dragon "I'm gonna have to remember that little trick." He said. Toothless cracked opened an eye to glare at him as if to say "Go ahead and try it." Jack just smirked.

Merida looked at her father "C'mon, Da." She prompted. Fergus looked at Merida, then at Elinor, then to Hiccup.

"Please Da'…"

The mighty Bear King Fergus Dun'Broch looked into his daughters big blue watery eyes and pouted lip and crumbled.

He limped forward. The Night Fury opened a sleepy eye at him. He slowly extended his hand out. Toothless sniffed his palm before touched his palm with his nose. Fergus traced his hand along the creature's skin.

"He's magnificent!" Fergus said. Toothless rumbled happily before he promptly was forced back to sleep by Merida's fingers.

"Oh, yer such a good boy, Toothless, yes you are!" Toothless made happy warbling sounds and rolled over onto his back to allow Merida's fingers more scratching room. His foot kicked in the air as Elinor rejoined in. Fergus and Hiccup chuckled at the scene.

Fergus looked at the boy with new eyes. His eyebrow rose when he noticed that they shared the lack of a left leg "How'd ya loose yer leg, boy?" he asked. Hiccup stiffened and made sure not to look Fergus in the eye "Oh, well, uh…it's a long story."

Fergus hummed and said "Well, you can tell us over dinner, then."

Hiccup blinked "Uh…what?"

* * *

After the Dun'Broc clan was reunited with their daughter, they gave her the "Don't you go out alone again without telling someone!" speech and ordered a meal to be prepared for their hungry daughter and their guests. They had invited Hiccup and Toothless, and by extension Jack, to dinner as a thank you for bringing their daughter home.

Now the dragon, the Viking, the royal Dun'Broc family, and the unseen Jack sat at the long table. Toothless sat by Hiccup and was thoroughly enjoying the pile of fish that had been supplied by the royal family. However, he did not enjoy how Merida's younger triplet brothers, Harris, Hubert, and Hamish, took great pleasure in using him as a slide.

"Boys, leave the dragon alone and eat your haggis." Elinor said sternly. She would later recall that was the strangest thing she ever told her children to do. The three brothers hopped off the Night Fury and hurried to their seats, giggling the whole way.

"So…Hiccup." King Fergus began "A strange name, that."

"Fergus!" Elinor chastised.

"What? It is." He said as he bit into his haggis.

She turned her regal smile onto Hiccup "Don't mind him, dear." She said.

Hiccup smiled shyly under the Queen's gaze. "It's okay, I'm used to it." he said.

"Apparently, scary names are supposed ta ward off evil." Merida said as she bit into an apple.

Fergus raised an eyebrow "That so?" he said.

Hiccup rubbed the back of his head and said "Yeah, it's uh…well its better than no name, I guess, huh? Hehe…" he chuckled awkwardly at his failed attempt at a joke and when no one laughed he shut himself up with a drink of water.

"So, Hiccup, how'd ye come te find me daughter all alone in the woods?" Fergus asked as he eyed Hiccup.

"Fergus!" Elinor hissed.

"Oh, man, looks like you're getting the overprotective dad routine, there, Hic." Jack commented from the shoulders from atop one of the stuffed bears that decorated the dining hall.

"Actually, ah found him." Merida said. "Ah was lost an' then the Whisps showed up and-"

"The Whisps?" Elinor inquired. The last time her daughter had followed the Whisps…well, the queen would rather stay human today.

"An' they led me ta Mor'du's old castle." Merida continued.

"Mor'du?" Fergus spoke up at the mention of his old nemesis.

"Who's Mor'du?" Hiccup asked.

Fergus turned to Hiccup and in one smooth motion lifted the stump of his leg onto the table. "E's the one who gave me this!" Fergus proclaimed proudly sweeping his hand over the wooden peg leg. It was decorated with carvings of roaring bear faces.

Jack floated over to examine it. "Huh, almost as cool as yours, Hic." He said.

King Fergus then proceeded to go into a detailed story about the demon bear Mor'du bit off his leg. Hiccup could tell it had been told many a time because of how Merida mouthed every singled word and acted it out with exaggerated movements, much to the amusement of her little brothers.

When he finished he leaned back in his seat and shot a look at Hiccup as if to say 'Beat that.'

"Now, why don' we hear your story, laddie?" he asked.

Hiccup looked to Jack for support. He shrugged and said "Go for it." Hiccup looked around at the Dun'Broch clan all looking at him expectantly.

Jack smiled and cupped his palm. Sometimes, Hiccup needed a little push. A single snowflake materialized in a flash of blue light. It danced around his fingers before Jack flicked it at the young Viking. The tiny snowflake landed on the his nose and tiny sparkles, visible to only those who who Belived, wriggled out from the impact. Hiccup brightened with new found joy and confidence.

Now…Hiccup Haddock Horrendous the III was by all means a humble young man. He never boasted or bragged, usually because he never had anything to brag about.

Until now.

The young Viking leaned back in his seat and examined his fingernails. "Eh, it's nothing really exciting. I just fell…" Fergus snorted. "Off of Toothless." Merida frowned. "From a few hundred feet in the air" Eyes widened all around "…while fighting the Red Death."

He let that sink in for a minute.

"The Red Death?" Elinor asked.

Hiccup shrugged and waved a hand in dismissal "Oh, just an enormous dragon queen that was bigger than this castle." He said casually.

Merida dropped her apple "Wha'!" she exclaimed through a mouth full of fruit.

"Merida, mouth closed." Elinor lightly chastised.

"Sorry, mum." Merida said quickly and kept her eyes on Hiccup.

"Bigger than the castle, eh? Well go on, lad, don' stop there!" Fergus prompted.

Hiccup suddenly found an audience eager to listen. Jack, who had never heard the full story himself, sat atop his staff in the middle of the table and listened closely. Even the triplets had stopped trying to climb Toothless and were watching him.

Hiccup cleared his throat and began "Well, the first thing you need to know is about where I come from. We used to have a serious pest problem. Some people have rats, or mosquitoes. We had…" dramatic pause " _Dragons…_ and they were all controlled by the Red Death. _"_

Hiccup told them all he remembered about the Red Death. About how it controlled all the other dragons. How it was so big I could crush a longboat under one of its massive feet. How its grey-blue hide was covered in blood red spikes from its neck to its clubbed tail. How its six pale-green eyes glared at everything around it out of its heavily armored skull. He told them how its roar shook every bone in his body and its teeth were bigger than a man was tall. How it's the heat of its fire singed your hair and skin from being a fraction too close. The mere memory of the monster sent chills up his spine.

The Dun'Broch family hung onto every word. It also occurred to Hiccup how they were the first people he had ever told this story. too. He'd become quiet and shy, stuttering when others asked him to tell the story about how he, Hiccup the Useless, had defeated the mighty Red Death. One of the other dragon riders usually wound up telling it.

He told them how he and Toothless had goaded it into spreading its massive wings and chase them up into the clouds where he used the Night Fury's camouflage to blend in with the dark sky and blast the queen's wings with fireballs and force her to pursue them down in an aerial dive.

"So there we were, hundreds of feet in the air, the Red Death hurtling after us! Toothless's tail fin was in embers, but we still hung on!"

"Wow!" the triplets breathed as one.

"So what didja do?" Merida prompted.

Hiccup looked at Toothless and smiled "Let me let you guys in on a little secret; dragons aren't so fireproof on the inside. I closed my eyes, and listened for the hiss of dragon gas!" Toothless opened his mouth a let a small amount of gas build up his throat, adding sound effects."I yelled, 'Now' and Toothless twisted around shoot a fireball down its throat and ignited the gas within!" Toothless belched a puff of smoke.

"The Red Death was burning from the inside out, and it tried to stop falling, but the holes we blasted in her wings tore wide open. As soon as it hit the ground it _exploded!_ We were so close to it that we had to fly up its back to avoid the blast. I thought we were going to make it, but…" Hiccup faltered.

The memory of what happened next still haunted his nightmares.

 _The shadow of the tail loomed down on them, a mace of blunted spikes backlit by flames and smoke._

 _"No, no-gah!"_

 _Pain and darkness, and falling..._

"The last thing I saw was its tail. It knocked me off Toothless and I blacked out." He finished.

"But how'dja survive?" Elinor prompted.

Hiccup smiled and pointed at Toothless "Because of him. He grabbed me midair and protected me in his wings on the way down. He saved me...well, most of me." He said, lifting his leg for all to see. They all looked at the dragon.

All except Fergus.

Fergus had been quiet throughout the Hiccup's story, contemplating something deep within his mind. He knew the boy was not from Scotland, that much was clear from the way he talked and dressed. He also liked to think that dragons were not native to Scotland either. He'd been wary of the stranger at first, any normal king would! There could a whole army of dragon riders waiting just beyond the trees and sent this young man in as a spy!

But then he caught sight of the insignia on the dragons prosthetic. A horned helmet. It triggered something deep in his mind and allowed the stranger into his home, not only to thank him for helping his daughter, but to keep an eye on him. Now, he had a sneaking suspicion of where he was from.

"Well, it, must have come quite as a shock to ye, loosin' yer leg an' all." He said offhandedly.

Hiccup gave a light chuckle "Not really. You see, where I'm from, things like this are considered an occupational hazard."

There!

Those words did it! Fergus' suspicions were proven correct. The boy had to be one of _them! N_ o other group of people would consider dragons and limb loss an _occupational hazard!_

"Yer a Viking, aren't ye?"

The air became very still.

"Wh-what?" Hiccup stuttered.

It was a well known fact that Vikings were not very welcome outside the Archipelago. But Berk was one of the last Viking settlements there was. They'd been too busy fighting dragons to go out plundering and pillaging like the others; not that Berk did that anymore.

Fergus' eyes never left Hiccup's. Finally, the boy spoke "Yes. I am." He straightened up in his chair and said "I am Hiccup Haddock Horrendous the Third, from the isle of Berk."

Berk! Fergus had heard of that island once before. He gulped. He had to know, he _had_ to!

"You wouldn't, uh…know a man by the name by of Stoick the Vast, wouldja?" he asked.

Hiccup blinked "Well...yeah, he's my dad."

Fergus' jaw dropped.

Slowly, he stood up and limped towards Hiccup who sat rooted to the spot, unsure of what to do. Fergus stopped in front of the young boy's seat…and let out a small laugh.

"Ha!"

He clapped the boy upside the shoulder and began laughing a deep, jolly laugh "Hahaha!" he clapped the boy on the shoulder again "Stoick the Vast!" he boomed "Now there's a name ah haven't heard in a long time!"

"You know my dad?" Hiccup asked.

Fergus barked another laughed "Know 'em? Course ah know 'em! We were shield-mates, him and I, back in the great war!"

Hiccup frowned "Great war?" he asked.

Fergus nodded gravely "Aye. Invaders from over the sea came and tried to take over Scotland. One day, a Viking longboat docked in the harbor and out hops this beast of a Viking. He yells 'Mah name is Stoick the Vast, sent by mah father to help aid Scotland and heal the rift between our clans!'"

Hiccup's eyes widened "Rift?" he asked.

Fergus raised an eyebrow "Don'tcha know? Vikings and Scottish were sworn enemies once…bu' that's all in the past laddie!" he added seeing Hiccup's nervous glance around the room "Yer father's father saw a chance to help us, and help us he did, sent a handful of his best warriors to aid us, yer father included, to help win the war." Fergus stepped back, lost in memory "Oh, the stories ah could tell ye about yer father. Heh, how is that hairy hooligan, anyhow?" He asked with a smile.

"Oh, he's, uh, good." Hiccup said lamely.

Fergus looked over at Toothless "Ye know, I never really believed him when he said that there were dragons where he came from. Always thought he was jokin'." He looked at Hiccup and gave him an appraising look "So, yer Stoick's boy, eh? Ah expected someone a lil' more…"

Hiccup raised an eyebrow "Bigger?" he finished. Unsurprisingly, Fergus nodded "Yeah, but ye take after yer mother; nothin' wrong wit' 'at. She was a fine lass."

Hiccup's eyes widened "You knew my mother?" he asked.

"O' course ah did…" Fergus's eyes narrowed and he frowned "…don't you?"

Hiccup sighed and shook his head "One day when I was a baby, there was a dragon raid. She…Dad said that she got carried off…"

Across the table, Merida gave a soft gasp. His mother was dead? She looked to her left at her mother, sitting just a few feet away from her. She was staring at Hiccup with an unreadable expression. Merida wouldn't know what to do if her mother was gone. She'd almost lost her once; she hated to think of losing her again.

Movement drew her eyes to Jack. While it bothered her that he had taken his seat on the dining table, Merida figured she couldn't berate him without looking like she was talking to air. She had quite a shock when she saw one of the servers walk straight through him. Jack had just looked at her and gave her a sad smile.

He stepped down off the top of his staff and walked across the table to Hiccup who watched him out of the corner of his eye. Jack stood next to him and placed a hand on his shoulder. Hiccup's lips twitched up at the gesture. "It's okay." He said aloud.

Fergus nodded and gave Hiccup another shoulder pat

Fergus nodded and gave Hiccup another shoulder pat "She'd be proud."

Surprise flashed across Hiccup's face before he morphed into a smile "Thank you." He said.

Fergus returned the grin and limped back to his seat at the head of the table "Well, enough of this saddened talk! Me daughter's home and Stoick the Vast's son is sittin' at me own table! Ah think this calls for somethin' sweet!"

Just then, servants arrived, carrying trays ladled with pudding, sweet buns, and other sugary things. The triplets all smiled in unison at the sight.

"Desert?" Fergus asked with a sly grin.

* * *

After the meal, Hiccup told Fergus all about his map-making quest and asked if he could look at a map to see if he could see how far he'd been blown off course. The Bear King gladly complied. For the next few hours, he and Hiccup sat pouring over maps of the Scotland and ocean charts.

Finally, they had a breakthrough "Okay, here's the Meriden of Misery Hiccup said as he traced a line with his finger across the oceanic map "And here would be Berk." He said tapping a blank space where the island would be.

Fergus leaned in closer and raised an eyebrow "Tha's a lot of ocean ta cover if ye want ta get back home." He said.

Hiccup shrugged "its fine. Toothless can fly long distance no problem. We caught in the storm just as night was beginning to fall."

Fergus raised an eyebrow "Ye mean ye got here last night?" he whistled "That dragon is a fine steed."

"You don't know the half of it." Hiccup said. He sighed and rolled up his map "Well, that'll have to do for now. Thanks, uh, your Highness."

Fergus laughed "No need for honorifics, boy." he said "Ye helped me daughter, its only right that Ah help ye in return. Now, anything else ye need?"

"I'll just need to restock on provisions." Hiccup responded as he tucked away the map "Food, fresh water, that sort of thing. And...oh! you wouldn't happen to have a forge I could use by any chance?"

Fergus' eyebrows raised "You know metal working?" he asked, surprised.

Hiccup nodded "I'm the apprentice of Berk's blacksmith. They're some things for my dragons tail I need to readjust."

Fergus nodded "Consider it done. I'll have yer supplies ready before ye leave and that forge'll be yers in the meantime."

Hiccup smiled and nodded in thanks. Just then, the door opened and Merida walked in. She said with a cheery wave.

"Ah, Merida, ah was jus' abou' te call ye. Why dontcha show Hiccup down to te forge." Fergus said in an equally cheery tone.

Merida blinked and shrugged "Alright." She strode forward and grabbed Hiccup's wrist and pulled him along with her out the door. "So, watcha need from te forge?" she asked as they walked along the stone hallways.

"Oh, I just might need to use a few of the tools. First I need to get Toothless." He answered while admiring the tapestries that lined the wall.

Hiccup, against his better judgment, had asked Jack to keep an eye on the Night Fury while he was gone. At the same time he'd asked the same Night Fury to keep an eye on Jack. He trusted Toothless to stay out of trouble, it was Jack he was worried about. He didn't feel like walking outside and finding half the castle engaged in one giant snowball fight. He wouldn't put it past Jack to do that.

Unfortunately, when they got to the dining hall where he'd asked them to stay, they found it empty. No Toothless or Jack in sight. "Oh great," Hiccup moaned, dreading the prospect of having to find them "This is the Boat Races all over again!"

Merida looked at him "Wha' happened at the Boat Races?" Hiccup looked sideways at her "You don't want to know."

What happened at the Boat Races would _stay_ at the Boat Races!

A sudden crash accompanied by startled yelps alerted them to a commotion outside. The two teens looked at each other before sprinting down the wooden staircase, into the hall, and towards the great wooden doors. They only got that far because the next thing that happened was that the door burst open and inside tumbled a very riled up Toothless being ridden by three laughing triplets. Laughter brought their attention behind them to Jack rolling on the floor laughing.

Merida and Hiccup watched in utter bemusement as the dragon lumbered up to them and warbled a pleading sound that clearly meant "Get them off!" as the tiny terrors crawled all over him, tugging at his ear fins, prosthetic, and other parts of his body.

Jack was still laughing as he walked up to them "Oh, man, Merida, your brothers are awesome!"

"Wee devils, more like." She muttered under her breath before she called out in a clear, sharp tone "Harris, Hubert, Hamish, leave the poor thing alone. Why don'tcha go play with Maudie. Ah hear she's makin' plum puddin'." The brothers snapped to attention at the word 'pudding' and immediately jumped off Toothless and scampered off towards the door…and straight through Jack.

Merida gasped in shock at the sight of her brothers passing through his being outlined in blue. She glanced at Jack's pale face which twisted in a grimace. He sighed and it quickly changed into his carefree grin as he looked back up. It quickly fell when he saw the look shewas giving him. "People who can't see me can't touch me either." he explained solemnly. He offered her a smile "But hey, you can, right?" He playfully poked Merida's shoulder, secretly relishing the contact.

Merida gave him a half smile and lightly punched his shoulder "Yeah, Frosty, ah can. Kinda hard not to when yer standin' right here. And Hiccup see's ye, too." She thumbed at Hiccup who smiled and nodded. "So," she said turning to Hiccup "Why don' we head down to te forge, eh?"

Jack's eyes lit up with excitement "Oh, cool! What're you gonna make this time, Hiccup?"

"Just a few things for Toothless, nothing special." The young Viking said, rubbing said dragon under his chin. Jack puffed a disappointed breath "Boooring! Let's do something fun!" he said twirling his staff in a circle.

Hiccup crossed his arms and said "We can do something fun after I finish what I need to get done." Jack blew a raspberry at him. Hiccup rolled his eyes and turned to Merida "Merida, if you'd lead the way. Come on, Toothless."

"Oh come on, Hic, don't be such a stick in the mud!" Jack called after the dragon, Viking, and Scottish princess.

"How am I a stick in the mud?" Hiccup said over his shoulder.

"Well, when you're being like…this!" Jack gestured with the tip of his staff to Hiccup who groaned and pinched the bridge of his nose "You just gestured to all of me!" he complained exasperatedly.

Merida glanced sideways at Toothless "Are they always like this?" She asked the dragon. Toothless looked back at Jack and Hiccup who were still arguing-

 _"Well technically, I didn't gesture to all of you. *cough* leg *cough*."_

 _"Oh, you did not just go there!"_

-and nodded in affirmative.

Merida rolled her eyes "Great."

* * *

The forge was hot, its fire casting a red glow on the walls. Sweat slicked Hiccup's forehead as he aired more heat on the coals. Gently, he removed a glowing metal rod from its mold with a pair of iron tongs and stuck it into the trough of water next to him. The water steamed and bubbled upon contact. Outside stood Merida and Jack, watching his progress.

"He's good." Merida observed "Never thought someone like him would be inta metalworking."

Jack chuckled and leaned on his staff "Yeah, Hiccup doesn't look like much, but the kid makes the impossible happen. You should see some of the things he's built. They're like nothing I've ever seen, and that's saying a lot. The kid's a genius!"

Merida shifted her weight to one leg and tilted her head "He's different from most boys ah've me, I'll give him that."

Jack smirked and leaned towards her "Oh, so you meet a lot of boys, eh princess?" he teased, wriggling his eyebrows. Merida rolled her eyes and pushed his face just laughed. "Hey, Hiccup," he called into the shop "Hurry up, I wanna do something!"

"Yeah yeah, yeah, give me a second, I'm coming already!" Hiccup called back. Jack rolled his eyes "More like an hour. He takes forever to finish a project once he's started." He told Merida. A sudden shriek followed by a chorus of giggles caused the two to turn and see Merida's triplets brothers running away with a dozen or so sweets poking stuffed in their clothes with the Maudie the Maid chasing after them. Merida groaned and yelled "Boys, stop torturing Maudie!"

Jack frowned "Hey, Merida?" he asked.

"Hm?"

"What's it like?" he said softly. Merida frowned and looked at him. Jack's eyes were downcast, shadowed by his feathery white hair.

"Wha's what like?" she asked.

"To have a family." he said, still staring at the ground with a haunted smile that made her stomach turn to stood there, stunned. She opened her mouth to speak, but just then, Hiccup emerged from the forge.

"You have no patience, do you, Jack?" he said as he untied the blacksmiths apron and hung it on a peg. Hiccup slid the rod into a burlap sack and threw it over his shoulder "Geez, you're as bad as Toothless in the morning!" he said as he walked out. The dragon, who was curled around the side of the shop, made a scoffing sound as if to say "No I'm not!"

Hiccup tied the sack to the side of Toothless's saddle "There ya go, bud. Some extra rods and spare bolts. Just in case, eh?" Toothless sniffed at the bag and nudged Hiccup happily. Hiccup looked over at Jack who was rocking back and forth on the balls of his feet, his previous sadness gone like a snowflake in a furnace, something Merida noted.

"Alright, why don't we do something fun before Jack explodes." Hiccup joked.

Jack punched a fist into the air "Yes! I know exactly what we're gonna do! We're gonna-"

"-Actually," Merida interjected "ah had sometin' in mind we can do."

Hiccup perked up "What?" he asked."Oh, just interrupt me, then." Jack grumbled.

Merida had a slight smile on her face as she put her hands on her hips "C'mon, let's go for a ride."

* * *

Merida shot through the trees on her horse, Angus' back. The Clydesdale galloped down the well-worn path they'd taken ever since she could ride him. And this time, they weren't alone.

A shadow swooped overhead. Merida looked up to see Hiccup and Toothless easily keeping up with them above the treetops. A brown and white blur streaked past Angus as Jack corkscrewed down the path with a laugh.

Merida planned on taking them for a tour of the surrounding territory. After some persuading her parents-

 _"But Mum, ah'll have friends wit' me!"_

 _"You could've died last night, and ye want te go out again?"_

 _"Ah, let 'er go Elinor, she'll be fine! She'll have a dragon wit' her, wha' could happen?"_

-and making sure Angus was feeling better (The horse was ecstatic to run again. He'd missed her, the poor thing), they took off with Merida leading the way. Now they assailed the trees; her riding past them, Jack flying in between them, and Hiccup gliding above them. Greens and browns blurred past her in a kaleidoscope of vegetation. At the upcoming bend in the path, Merida saw the hanging bulls-eye dart riddled with old arrows. Habit drove her to unsling her bow.

As Angus jumped over a fallen log, Merida nocked an arrow and fired into the center of the target. At the same time, Jack zoomed behind her with a snowball cocked back in his hand. The snowball nailed the center target right after Merida's arrow. Jack flew by her, laughing, and ascended up to Hiccup and Toothless, his woolen shawl billowing around him. He circled them a few times (much to Toothless's annoyance) and dove back down into the canopy.

The dragon and rider watched his flight path before they too swooped low, skimming the treetops and arced up and shot ahead. Abruptly, the forest cut off and they found themselves scaling the wide open fields of the Highlands. Hiccup urged Toothless down and flew close to the ground so they flew a ways away from Merida and Angus. She smiled as he waved to her. Jack flew above and in between the two riders, a happy grin on his face.

Merida brought them to Crone's Tooth and dared them to try and climb it. Hiccup scrabbled weakly at the bottom. Jack just floated up to the top ahead of her. Then, seeing Hiccup was have some difficulty getting up, he floated down and retrieved him.

 _"Uh, Jack, what're do-whoooa!"_

Merida took silent joy in the boy's expressions when the late afternoon sunlight touched the water and turned the Fire Falls the sparkling golden orange color that gave it its name. They each took a drink, marveling at the crisp, refreshing feeling it brought them.

Later, they sat on a hill that overlooked the Highlands, watching the sunset. Toothless and Angus rolled in the grass behind them, playing rather well together for two different species.

"You know," Jack began "I think this is the most fun I've ever had in a while."

"Aye, me too." Merida admitted.

"Shame we have to leave tomorrow." Hiccup said, looking off to the side.

"Do ye really have te go so soon?" Merida asked him. Jack nodded in agreement with Merida "Yeah, Hic. You don't have to leave right away. We could stay for a few days! See the sights, have some fun! I'm sure Merida could show us around, right Mer?" He asked. Merida nodded.

Hiccup shrugged one shoulder "I'd love to stay. I really would." He stared out at the rolling hills and lush grass painted auburn by the dying light. Toothless lumbered up next to the young Viking and lay down beside him. Hiccup smiled as the dragon chuffed and nudged him for attention and scratched his then he frowned and sighed "But I've gotta get back on track. I have no idea how far I am from Berk. I could be hundreds of miles away and not know it. I promised my Dad I'd come back with a whole new map; one that I've barely got started on."

"Oh." was all Merida said.

Hiccup heard the undertones of disappointment and quickly added "But that doesn't mean I won't come back! And hey, maybe you could come visit Berk sometime! I could teach you how to ride a dragon, show you the Training Academy-"

"Ah could teach you how te shoot a bow." Merida offered.

"Fresh experiences for us both!" Hiccup said merrily. "And at least we had fun, eh, Jack…Jack?"

Jack's brow was furrowed and he stared at the grass for a moment before he looked up "Why don't you come with us?" he asked Merida. Both her and Hiccup stared at him. "Yeah!" Jack said shifting into a crouch "I mean why not? It'll be fun! We'd go all across the ocean. I bet you've never been outside of Scotland, Merida. I've been all over the world and seen amazing things! Things that I want to show the only ones who can see me. C'mon Mer, what do you say? Toothless can definitely carry another person!"

Merida opened her mouth to speak, but Hiccup beat her to it "Jack, I don't think that's a good idea. As much as I would love having you come with us, Mer, I'm pretty sure you've got your own agenda. You are a princess. I bet you have, uh, princessy things you need to do?" He finished quickly.

Merida nodded in solemn agreement "Aye, yer right Hiccup. Ah'm the heir to the Dun'Broch clan. Mah place is here in Scotland. As much as ah'd luv te come wit' ye, ah can't."

Jack opened his mouth to speak but no words came out. He sat back down as a silence fell over the trio. Once again Hiccup was the silence breaker. "Well," he began to say "we should probably head back. Wouldn't want your parents to worry again Mer-"

He was cut off by Toothless's growls.

The three turned to look at the agitated dragon "Toothless, what's wrong?" Hiccup asked. The dragon rose to his feet and turned away so he faced something behind them. The three teens followed his gaze and gasped at the small ball of smoky blue fire hovering a foot off the ground. A whole line of them led back to the far away tree line.

"What are they?" Jack asked softly.

"Whisps!" Merida breathed. No matter how many times she saw the Spirits of Fate, she'd never get used to the sight of them.

"Those are the Whisps?" A shocked Hiccup asked. Merida nodded "Aye." She said.

"So, uh, what do we do?"

Merida answered him by standing up and striding toward the Whisps. Every time she got close to one, it disappeared. After three Whisps, she frowned and turned to her horse. Angus nickered and pawed at the ground anxiously. She reached for his bridle but he turned his head away, whinnying in protest. "C'mon, Angus!" she pleaded. But Angus wasn't going anywhere. She huffed "Fine! Go on home then, ye big baby!" she sighed and turned back to the others. "We hafta follow 'em!"

"Uh, are you sure?" Hiccup asked.

Merida nodded enthusiastically. The Whisps had never led her (entirely) wrong before. "C'mon!" she repeated.

Hiccup and Jack looked at each other. Jack shrugged. Hiccup looked at Toothless. Toothless shrugged. Hiccup sighed in defeat.

* * *

A minute later, Merida was seated on Toothless behind Hiccup as the dragon followed Jack from above. Jack was flying low to the ground, following the trail of Whisps that eventually brought them back into the forest. Toothless's sharp eyes kept track of him through the thick leaves.

They followed the Whisps into the heart of the forest where bramble, brush, and briar grew in thick patches and pale mist blanketed the ground. The Whisps stopped in the center of a circular clearing where, in the center, large slabs of stone were propped up in a circle. One lay toppled over.

Merida recognized it immediately.

To her, it was where her journey started. To others, it was known as Stonehenge.

The first time she'd been here, the Whisps led her to the Witches cottage. The second time, her mother, still a bear at the time, was about to be killed by her Da', then Mor'du attacked and her mother and brothers became human again. She'd had some unique experiences here.

And now here she was again, flying in on the back of a dragon along with a Viking and Jack Frost himself.

Toothless touched down on the outside of the circle and she and Hiccup dismounted. Toothless whined and backed away from the stones. "What's the matter, bud?" Hiccup asked and waved him toward him "Come on." Toothless shook his salamander-shaped head and eyed the stones warily.

Hiccup looked back and forth from Toothless to the stones, trepidation forming in his eyes. Merida put a hand on his arm and nodded at Jack who stood in the middle of the formation staring at the last Whisp. Hiccup sent one final look at Toothless before he and Merida walked towards Jack.

Jack stood stock still, knees bent, his left hand reaching out towards the tiny Whisp. It was inches away before it disappeared "Whoa." He breathed softly. He turned as Hiccup and Merida approached "What is this place?" he asked.

"Stonehenge," Merida answered "It's older than the four Clans, maybe the oldest thing in Scotland. No one knows who built it or its purpose. It's a mystery." Hiccup and Jack stared around at the formation with new reverence. Then their eyes fell upon the fallen slab and the massive bear skeleton trapped underneath. The crushed, yellow bones still had bits of shaggy hair clinging to them and Merida could see a horizontal scratch along the skull's left eye socket that once held the bear's dead eye.

"Well, that isn't creepy at all." Hiccup deadpanned. "Tha's Mor'du." Merida supplied. Hiccup stared at the skeleton. Jack on the other hand drifted forward to rest on top of the slab. "This is Mor'du? That demon bear you told us about? He doesn't look so scary." He used the crook of his staff to scoop up the bear skull.

A mischievous smile appeared on Jack's face. "Think fast!" he said and tossed it to Hiccup who fumbled to catch it and stumbled from the weight. He dropped it and said "Again: Spirits of Fate leading you to a pile of bones in the middle of nowhere? _Creepy_."

"Ah don' understand. There's nothin' here!" Merida said looking around.

"Well, what did you think we'd find?" Hiccup asked her. Merida pursed her lips and paced back and forth "Ah dunno? Maybe…maybe…"

"Maybe it isn't here yet?" Hiccup suggested. "Maybe." Merida agreed.

"Or maybe…" Jack drawled, drifting in between them "Maybe it's already here!" he said in a hushed voice. "Maybe it's here, watching, waiting, just beyond the shadows of the trees, ready for the perfect moment to strike!" he finished dramatically.

"Oh really?" Came Merida's dry response. "And what exactly would 'it' be, Jack?" Hiccup asked him in the same tone as Merida. Jack shrugged "I don't know," he pointed over his shoulder "Maybe it's that bird?"

The other teens looked up to where he pointed and saw a scruffy black crow perched on the fallen slab, staring at them. Hiccup slowly pointed at the crow "When did…" he trailed off. Merida strode past the boys toward the bird. It didn't move, just peering at her with a dull expression. It looked familiar.

The bird cawed once and flew up and over them, down onto the shoulder of an elderly woman walking out of the bushes. She grumbled to herself as she picked a bur off the hem of her green cloak and pulled a small twig from her her wispy white hair was done up in a tight bun. "Och, ah hate these parts of te woods..." she grumbled. The bird affectionately nuzzled her cheek and the Witch snapped out of her musings and looked up at the teens who were all staring at her. When her eyes fell on Merida she smiled "Ahh, there ye are dearie, ah've been lookin' fer ye."

Merida's eyes widened. It was the Witch!

There was a growl as Toothless prowled around Stonehenge towards the newcomer. The Witch's eyes widened at the sight of the dragon who crouched low, snarling a warning. The Witch huffed and her expression dulled. She lifted on arm and snapped her fingers. Toothless blinked, stiffened, and fell over.

"Toothless!" Hiccup yelled and moved forward but Merida caught his arm and held him back. Jack found himself stepping in front of them and lowered his staff in the Witch's direction.

"Don't worry, he's just asleep." She said stoking the dragon's jawline. The Witch tore her gaze away from the mythical beast and refocused on Merida "Well, dearie, ah see ye've made some new friends." she said. Jack blinked and pointed to himself. When she didn't acknowledge him, he sighed.

Unseen by the Witch, Jack floated up and over towards her "Um, Princess?" he asked Merida "Who is this?" he jabbed the crook of his staff in the Witch's direction, annoying the crow perched on her shoulder. It fluttered onto the end of his staff and hopped up its length up to his face where it stared at him. Jack stared back. It pecked his hand.

"Ow!" Jack exclaimed. The crow then hopped up and began pecking at his head. "Ow, ow, stop it! Get this crazy pigeon away from-ow, help me!" Jack took to the skies, the crow cawing angrily as it flapped after him. The Witch ignored her pet's antics and walked up to Hiccup and Merida.

"Ahh, s-sorry about yer, uh, house." Merida stuttered. The witch waved off her words "Och, think notin' of it. Ye did me a favor. Ah bought a place bigger than the last! It's much more roomy." She looked past her at Hiccup. "Hmm," she hummed "He's a cute one, a bit on the skinny side, though." she told Merida.

Hiccup blinked. So did Merida. "What?" they said at the same time and looked at each other before looking away just as quickly with color in their cheeks.

The Witch walked around them and stood there, eying them strangely. "Ah thought there'd be three of you." she said. She shrugged. "Guess yer dragon's part of it, too." she said to herself. Hiccup and Merida looked at each other again and then up at Jack who was still being harassed by the crow.

"Uh, not to be rude, but, who are you and what do you want?" Hiccup asked. Merida elbowed him "Hiccup," she hissed "It's the !itch." Hiccup looked at her "What witch?" he asked. "The one ah told ye about!" she hissed. His eyes widened and he stared at the witch who grinned an almost toothless drew herself up and stepped forward "Why _are_ you here?" she asked.

The Witch cackled "For you three, that's why." she said. Upon seeing their blank stares, she motioned for them to come closer. Reluctantly, they did. She looked up and called "Oi, get down 'ere!" Her crow ceased its attack and glided downwards onto her shoulder. Jack floated down and landed next to his friends, rubbing his head "Crazy bird." he muttered.

The Witch reached into the folds of her cloak and drew out a metal pan and a leather drawstring pouch. She put a wrinkled hand into the bag and drew out a handful of bones.

"Bone reading." Hiccup recognized. The Witch looked up at him "Ye know the art?" she asked curiously. Hiccup nodded "We have it on our island. The Elder, Gothi, she reads bones to...predict stuff." he finished lamely. He frowned and looked the Witch in the eye "What did you see?" he asked her. She smirked at Merida "A smart one, too. Hold on to em, dear, he's a keeper." she said. Merida folded her arms and glared at her, only blushing a little this time.

The Witch turned her attention back to the items she held. She placed the tin on the grass and cast the handful of bones into the tin. She kneeled down and stared at the scattered bones. Hiccup, Jack, and Merida copied her.

"So...what the heck going on?" Jack asked.

"Ah've seen it in the bones, dearies." she whispered to them "Somethin' great and terrible is to happen. A great darkness will rise in the Kingdom of te Sun. Four heroes from different lands shall band together to stop it." The Witch said.

Jack, Merida, and Hiccup all looked at each other. "You mean us?" Jack asked.

"Four?" Hiccup asked "But there's only three of us here."

The Witch pursed her lips "Hmm, perhaps yer destined te meet the fourth later on." She scooped up the bones and tin and returned them to her cloak. "Well," she said standing up suddenly stood up "Mah work is done here. Ta-ta, dears." She turned to go.

"W-wait!" Hiccup said standing up and walking after her "You can't just say something like that and leave! What darkness? What kingdom? What are you talking about?" The Witch walked behind one of the slabs. Hiccup chased after her...only to find she had disappeared. Jack floated up and landed on the slab "Whoa. Now _that_ was creepy." he said. A low grunt brought their attention behind them where Toothless was awake and shaking his head.

"So," Jack began "I think I speak for us all when I say…what the heck was that all about?"

Hiccup scratched the back of his head and turned around "I don't know what just happened, I don't want to know; all I want to do is get Merida home before her dad kills me. C'mon guys." He turned and began to walk towards Toothless who sat waiting outside the ring of stones, Jack floating alongside of him. However, Merida didn't move from. Hiccup turned back to see her standing stock still staring at the ground with a serious expression on her face. "Merida?" he called.

Merida blinked and looked up with the expression of someone who had made up their mind about something and was not going to change it anytime soon. "Jack, do ye know anywhere that's called the Kingdom of te Sun." she asked him. Jack blinked in surprise "Oh, um, I don't know? Let me think." he said cupping his chin in thought. He shrugged "That could be Corona." he guessed.

"Corona?" Hiccup inquired.

Jack nodded "Yeah," he said "I've only been there a few times. It's up south, so I don't really go there much; warm temperatures and all." he said. He looked at Merida "Why?"

Merida put her hands on her hips and held her chin high determination written on her face "Because we need te go there." she said firmly. Hiccup blinked "What?" Merida shrugged "Ye heard the Witch. She said we're destined to go there to stop a great darkness!"

A smile made its way onto Jack's face "Now you're talking, Princess." he said, nodding. Both looked at Hiccup expectantly. He looked back and forth between them with a dull expression and cocked an eyebrow "Yeah, I'm going to fly _all_ the way up _south_ to some kingdom I don't even _know_ to stop some 'great darkness'!" he said emphasizing the words with air quotations "Yeah, that could mean anything. Like: maybe we're suppose to stop all the candles from going out or something, I don't know. Now come on, we need to get you back home." Hiccup turned to leave.

Merida crossed her arms over her chest and shifted her weight to one hip "Hiccup," she said, lifting her chin "Ah'm nae movin' from this spot until ye agree te take me te Corona."

Hiccup gaped at her. Jack floated back to stand next to her, earning a smile from the Scott. "Wha-you too?" Hiccup asked disbelievingly. Jack shrugged "Hey, she's a Princess. If I don't comply to her wishes she could have me beheaded or something. And I did say I'd show you around the world." Merida smiled sideways at him "And...Ah think a lil' getaway wouldn't hurt." she said. Jack's smile widened.

Hiccup rubbed the bridge of his nose "Jack, Merida, I..." Something bumped into his elbow and he turned to see Toothless staring at him. The dragon reared up and sat upright, towering above him and cocked its head to the side, looked at Jack and Merida, and snorted. Hiccup blinked at his best friend. The dragon nodded at him. Hiccup slowly turned back around towards the others. Jack's cocky smile was on full display right next to Merida's patient unflinching one.

Hiccup sighed and huffed a laugh "Fine," he said "Might as well. Jack would put slush down my pants...again."

Jack laughed "What, you're not still mad about that are you?"

Hiccup glared at him "Yes." he deadpanned.

* * *

"Ye want te _what?"_

Hiccup swore that King Fergus' yell blasted his hair back.

They had flown back to Dun'Broc where Merida had announced to her parents what had happened in the woods and where she planned on going. And now here they were, standing in the great hall, trying to convince Merida's parents to let her go off to some far off land with a boy they barely knew on the back of a dragon because a Witch told her to do so.

Yeah, Hiccup wouldn't agree with that one, either.

Merida nodded "We hafta go te Corona, Da! The Witch said so!" she said. Fergus gave his daughter an 'oh really?' look and said "The same Witch that turned yer mother inta a bear?" Merida faltered in her next sentence "...Yes?" she said with a nervous smile. Fergus sighed and rubbed his face with his hand "Merida," he groaned "Do ye really expect me te let ye go?" he asked pointedly.

Merida held her chin up high "No." she said, surprising her father "Ah don't, but..." she shook her head "Ah can't explain it. Ah was meant te find them." She gestured to Hiccup, Toothless, and Jack who was invisible to all. They stood behind her, waiting to hear her parent's verdict. Merida breathed in and continued "Da, Ah hafta do this! Ah don't know why, maybe its fate or destiny _again_ , but the Whisps led me to them and the Witch, _again_!" She shook her head. "Ah'm nae gonna try and change me fate this time. Ah already learned that lesson." she said shooting a glance at her mother. Elinor stood next to her husband; silent, tall, and regal. Her expression was indecipherable. Merida sighed "Da, ah luv ye and Mum both. Ah could never stay away from Dun'Broc. But this? This is important! Wha' if ah'm suppose te save a whole kingdom from dyin'? Ah could never forgive myself if that happens and ah had a chance te stop it." She stared at her parents with pleading eyes "Please. Mum, Da, trust me."

Fergus opened his mouth, closed it, and locked eyes with his wife. An unspoken signal passed between them and Elinor brought herself up to her full height and fixed Hiccup with a hard look. The young Viking gulped as the Queen of Scotland walked past her daughter and stopped in front of him, staring down at him.

"Hiccup Haddock Horrendous the Third." she said coldly " _If,_ by some chance, I agree te this madness of letting me daughter fly off wit' ye to some foreign land for who knows how long, what would ye do?"

For once, Hiccup didn't stutter like he thought he would. Instead, he stared back into the Queen's flinty brown eyes and drew himself up to sound as much like the chief's son he was "I would protect her with my life and return her home to you safe and sound. I give you my word as chief-to-be of Berk, your Highness." The words echoed around the hall. It was a promise, through and through; one Hiccup would follow through till the end.

Elinor stared coolly at him for what seemed like eternity before she nodded and turned back to her husband "Let her go, Fergus." she said. Fergus's eyes bulged "Wha-" Elinor shook her head "Our daughter is of age, Fergus. She needs to learn te make her own path if she is te be Queen one day." She turned and fixed her daughter with a warm smile "She already speaks like one." She turned back to Fergus "And, if one of Scotland's heirs saved a foreign kingdom, they would be indebted to us. It would be beneficial to Scotland te have another trading partner. Besides, she'll be safe. She is _our_ daughter after all." She said with a smile.

Fergus looked back and forth from his wife to his daughter. He looked at Merida "Are ye sure ye want te do this?" he asked her. Merida gave a firm nod. He sighed "Alright Merida. It's just hard seein' me lil' girl grown up, eh?" he admitted and scrubbed at the corner of his eyes. "Don't cry, Da." Merida pleaded fondly. "Ah'm nae cryin'." Fergus argued "It's...allergies." he said wiping his smiled ruefully "Sure Da." she said and marched forward to embrace her two parents who returned the gesture.

After a moment, the big man blinked a few times to compose himself and turned a steely gaze on Hiccup "You," he barked "Come over 'ere." Hiccup jumped and scurried forward. Fergus towered over him like a mountain. "So." Fergus bit out "Ye plan on takin' me daughter out on lil' adventure, do ye?" he said gruffly.

"Da!"

Fergus ignored his daughter and continued to glower down at the teen before him "Well, speak up, boy!" he barked. "Y-yes sir!" Hiccup squeaked. Fergus nodded slowly, like he was deciding if Hiccup's agreement was a good enough response. "Now, ah take it ye know where yer goin'?" Hiccup nodded so fast he gave himself a headache. "Good." Fergus said "Now, ah am trustin' ye wit' me baby girl, understand?" he growled, leaning in so he was level with Hiccup. Hiccup nodded frantically. "Ah donnae think ye do." Fergus said lowly. "It means, if she's not back here within two week time, and if there's so much as a _hair_ outta place on her head when ye get back..." Fergus reached over to a metal candle stand and grabbed it. He brought the iron up in front of Hiccup's face so he could see it.

 ***SNAP!***

Fergus handed Hiccup the now broken candle bracket.

"Whoa." Jack commented from off to the side.

Fergus straightened back up and folded his arms "Do ah make myself clear, lad?" Hiccup could only nod dumbly. Fergus nodded, satisfied "Good." he said with a smile "Merida, why don' ye go pack." he said.

Merida nodded in agreement and motioned for Hiccup and Jack to follow "C'mon, Hiccup." she said pulling on the boy's arm. He was still holding the candle bracket "That was made of _metal._ " he said as Merida made him drop it and pull him along.

* * *

"Wow." Jack said upon entering Merida's room "You...really like bears." he deadpanned.

The Princess's room was filled to the brim with wood-carvings of bears. There were bear desks, bear chairs, bear cups, bear candle-holders; if it wooden, it was there and it had a bear on it.

"Yeah." Merida laughed "Let's just say it was part of the deal with the Witch." she said.

"I'm not even gonna ask." Hiccup said from admiring the tapestry her mother had made. Merida smiled and moved over to reach into a bear encrusted trunk to pull out another quiver and another dozen arrows. She slung it over her waist and filled each to the brim with more arrows and wrapped the spares in a white bundle."So," Merida said "How're we gettin' tae Corona?" she asked.

"You're going to follow me." Jack said from atop her bedpost.

"Ye know the way?" she asked.

Jack nodded "I do. Well, the Wind knows. I'll ask it to take us to Corona and we'll be off like a shot." he assured her."The Wind?" Merida questioned.

"I ride it." he told her.

"Whaddya mean?" she asked.

Jack just smiled.

* * *

The three stood in the courtyard, the kingdom of Dun'Broc waving goodbye to their princess and her strange dragon-riding friend.

"Be careful, Merida!" her mother called from the front of the crowd. Merida nodded and waved goodbye as her Da burst into dramatic tears at the thought of his little girl heading off. Her brothers were there, too; stacked on top of each other, waving goodbye.

"Ready to go?" a voice above her asked. Merida looked up at Jack floating directly above her. She nodded. Jack nodded "Alright. Hiccup?" He asked the dragon-rider. Hiccup nodded. "Lizard-breath?" He asked Toothless. The dragon glared at him. Jack laughed and floated in front of them.

"Okay, prepare for takeoff!" he said.

Hiccup looked back at her "Hold on tight." He advised. Merida slid her arms around his waist and held on as tight as she could. Hiccup smiled and turned forwards to his dragon. "Ready, bud?" he asked. Toothless chuffed an affirmative and Hiccup tightened his grip on the bridle. Jack smiled and called out to the open air "Wind, take us to Corona!"

A winter chill whipped up out from nowhere around them, carrying flecks of ice and and a snow. Toothless crouched low and took to the skies, the wind lifting them up faster than naturally possible. The dragon and his two passengers soon found themselves zooming out over Dun'Broc's harbor, following the channel out to the open ocean. Jack led the way ahead of them, the icy wind ruffling through his hair and billowing his caplet out behind him. Toothless pumped his wings and they ascended into the clouds. Merida laughed in exhilaration at their journey southwards.

Next stop: Corona.

* * *

 **Holy CRAP! 17,042 words? That's a new record! I was originally going to cut this chapter in half, but at the last second I decided against it.  
**

 **Anyway Hiccup and Jack have teamed up with Merida and are headed to Corona, yay!  
**

 **I wanted to do something different with the regards to Hiccup being a Viking given their history with Scotland. Fergus and Stoick are almost alike in personality so I decided to make them old friends to twist the tradition of Merida and Hiccup being 'star crossed lovers'. By the way, Bone Reading is an actual form of fortune telling in Gaelic tradition. Till next time!**


	4. Chapter 4

**(DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN DISNEY'S OR DREAMWORKS BRAVE, TANGLED, RISE OF THE GUARDIANS, OR HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON)**

* * *

Four days later, they arrived in Corona.

Their trek across the ocean had been one big adventure all on its own. Although, Flying at high altitudes in a fast moving winter breeze hadn't been very pleasant, but Hiccup was used to such temperatures. Merida hadn't been too cold either. She'd had the foresight to bring along a thick, woolen cloak. Plus, winters were cold in Scotland, so she had a tolerance to the chill as well. Being pressed up against Hiccup the while ride had helped, too. Who knew someone so skinny could be so warm?

They'd passed the time by talking and getting to know each other. Merida had tired of Jack's incessant game of 'I Spy' by the twelfth time he'd asked. The answer was either cloud, sea, or her hair every time. Hiccup had told them more about Berk and his adventures. Merida in turn had told them the full 'Bear Indecent' story. Jack had appointed himself the official commentator for her tale.

"So, wait, let me get this straight. That whole thing happened because you didn't want to get married?" Jack had asked at the end. Merida had frowned. When he put it like that she sounded like a spoiled brat. "No," she corrected him "Ah already had enough duties and responsibilities as a princess. I barely had anytime to meself! I just wanted to keep me freedom! Getting married would've destroyed any chance of that." Jack hummed thoughtfully "True, true. I'm not too big on responsibilities myself. I'm more snowballs and fun times." he said. "I want to know why that Witch is obsessed with bears." Hiccup asked. They fell silent after that. It was a question that would bug them forever.

Whenever Toothless got tired, Jack went back to old tactics and whipped up an iceberg out of the churning sea. They'd sleep on those icebergs, too, when night fell, huddling close to Toothless for warmth. All except Jack. He didn't need to sleep, well, more like he _couldn't._ He preferred to stay awake and watch the golden streams of Dreamsand curling around Hiccup, Merida, and Toothless's heads, giving them dreams of dragons, bears, and fish while he directed the wind to push their iceberg to southward.

When they woke, Hiccup and Merida ate a breakfast of bread, nuts, fruits, and dried goods. There had been a basket full of fish for Toothless, but the dragon had devoured them all the first time they rested. When Hiccup pointed out that the dragon needed to eat a lot more and didn't want his best friend starving, Merida came up with a brilliant solution. She had Jack form a platform of solid ice and froze a rope to the end, attaching it to the main iceberg. Merida would then balance herself on the float and went fishing with her bow and arrows. They had caught a steady supply of fish that way, which had instantly endeared her to Toothless. The Scottish Princess had won the Night Fury's heart with all the fresh fish she caught.

But to the other's confusion however, Jack never seemed to eat anything. When asked why he gave them an oddly sad smile and the cryptic reply of "Believe me when I say this; I'm never hungry. Ever."

They kept flying; talking, telling, stories, Hiccup worrying about their diminishing food supply, Merida beginning to feel the pangs of homesickness, Jack still exuberant about the whole situation, and Toothless wondering when he'd get his next fish.

Then Jack announced they'd arrived.

* * *

The kingdom of Corona was an impressive sight. Built on a small island of land coming out of the bay, a white castle stood tall and proud, rising up out of the rest of the kingdom; an urban sprawl of shops and houses and cobblestone streets. A stone bridge stretched across the water connecting with the mainland. Purple flags with the yellow sunburst crest flapped in the wind. As they flew overhead people pointed up and stared. Not wanting any confrontations with the locals, Hiccup urged Toothless away from the castle and towards land.

They found a suitable place to land within the thick forest and Merida and Hiccup all but kissed the ground in relief to be back on solid earth. Hiccup loved to fly, he had no problem with flying long-distance, but one could only stand seeing nothing but sea and sky for four days straight. After they were done worshiping the earth, Merida and Hiccup went about foraging to restock their food supplies and to find fresh water. Hiccup found a stream which they set up camp by, Merida caught two rabbits and cooked them over a fire made by Toothless, and Jack…didn't have much to do. He helped them unload supplies but that was about it. As he watched Hiccup run a maintenance check on Toothless's tail-fin while Merida counted her arrows, he began to feel something he hadn't felt in a while: boredom.

"So," he asked from atop his staff "What now?"

Merida and Hiccup looked up at him. "What?" Hiccup asked. Jack repeated the question "What now? We're here, what's the plan?" They looked at each other then back to him with blank expressions. Jack's shoulders drooped "Seriously? You guys don't have a plan?"

"Well…" Merida began unsuccessfully. "We're supposed to stop a…darkness?" Hiccup tried, looking at Merida who nodded and said "Right, a...darkness. And find…someone?" she trailed off. Jack hopped off his staff "And that tells us what exactly?" he asked. When they didn't answer he rubbed his hands together and said "Okay. You guys work on a plan, I'm gonna have a look around." He turned and snatched up his staff, taking to the air.

"Wait, where are you going?" Hiccup called after him. Jack turned midair and offered them a grin "Don't worry, I'll be back in a minute. Be here when I do!" and he took off in a shot.

Hiccup stared after him and shook his head "That guy has the attention span of a Terror." He said dryly. "Hopefully he doesn't get inta trouble." Merida said. Hiccup shrugged his shoulders "We're in the middle of the woods, what could happen?"

* * *

"Well," Jack thought "This looks fun."

Jack delighted in new things. Before he met Merida and Hiccup, he'd travel far and wide looking for things to do, causing mischief and seeing the wonders of the world to help alleviate boredom and distract himself from the crushing loneliness of being invisible and unheard to all around him.

But sometimes, entertainment found him; take the sight below him for example. Half a dozen men on horseback in red uniforms and steel helmets wielding crossbows thundered through the forest after their target: A man wearing a bright blue vest, cream colored long sleeve tunic and pants, and black leather boots. He was slightly tan with light brown hair, a small goatee, and equally brown eyes that were wide with terror as he ran for his life, all the while holding onto a large brown leather...purse?

The one Jack assumed to be the leader of the armed men yelled out "Retrieve that satchel at all cost!" His horse whinnied to the other horses, who responded the same way. Jack drifted down off the branch he was own and flew alongside Purse-Man.

"Hurry up; they're going to catch you!" Jack playfully urged the man who, of course, didn't hear him.

A crossbolt parted Jack's hair. "Whoa!" he yelled in surprise. He glared behind him at the men "Hey, watch where you're pointing those things!" Five more almost made a porcupine out of him. They speared into a fallen log which Purse-Man jumped over just in time.

Jack landed on the log and his eyes narrowed "Alright, that's it!"

He raised his staff.

* * *

Flynn Rider's (A.K.A Eugene Fitzherbert's) grand heist was going swimmingly. He hired the Stabbington brothers, stolen the royal crown, and ditched said brothers for the law. The only thing left to do now was ditch the guards, find someplace to hide, sell the crown, and live happy, rich, and rested until the rest of his days. He'd buy that island he dreamed of having! Along with a castle!

Oh, he could see it now; a tropical sun overhead, him resting in a hammock by the ocean drinking something cold and delicious out of a coconut while being waited on by a hot brunette or threw...it was going to be great!

Now only if the guards would stop shooting out him then he could live and make his dream a reality!

There was a blast of cold wind, like winter itself blew at his back, and there was the sound of clanging metal and surprised yells and whinny's from behind him. Flynn looked over his shoulder to see the majority of the guards and their steeds toppled over, slipping and sliding on…ice? Flynn had no time to ponder the strangeness of frozen water in the middle of spring. The Captain of the Guard had regained his bearings and was bearing down on him, fast! Flynn's eyes darted around for a means to rid himself of his pursuer.

One vine swing later that knocked the Captain off his horse, Flynn was on the back of a white stallion riding off to freedom and riches…for about five seconds.

The horse stopped and glared back at him. Then it started snapping for his satchel and the beautiful shininess inside. The crazy horse bucked him off and the two of them fought for the satchel that somehow wound up on the branch of a tree suspended over a cliff. Flynn and the horse both made a mad dash for the satchel, teetering along the length of the bough. They were inches away from the satchel, when…CRACK!

They looked at each other with terrified expressions just before the tree from their combined weight and fell, snapping in half on an outcropping below and sending Flynn to the right and the horse to the left.

* * *

Jack gasped as he watched them fall to what he thought would be their deaths, but sighed in relief when he saw how that they had somehow survived the hundred foot drop. The horse immediately got up and began sniffing the ground like a dog for Purse-Man, but Purse-Man had disappeared behind a curtain of vines and leaves.

Intrigued with the new development, Jack followed him and came out into a beautiful valley at the bottom of a canyon supporting a short bushy trees, lush green grass, and a babbling brook that originated from a waterfall at the far end of the canyon.

However, the real eye-catcher was the Tower.

Seventy feet of cream colored bricks topped with a conical, purple shingle roof lay in the shadow of the canyon near the back of the valley. Multiple vines grew up its length and purple flower bushes grew around the base.

Both he and Purse-Man stared up at the structure for a few more seconds before Purse-Man strode forward with purpose. Jack eagerly followed.

Flynn didn't see a door anywhere, but he did see an open window at the top. The Tower would be a good place to hide out for a few days, then he'd find somewhere to sell the crown. Then it was off to freedom!

Flynn fit his fingers into the grooves in the brickwork and started climbing. A few minutes later he was at the top and climbed through the open window. There was a gust of col air and he slammed the window shut behind him, shivering. What was with the freaky weather toady? He shrugged and took a look at his new surroundings.

The place was well kept. Flynn had assumed someone lived here but they didn't seem to be here now. Oh well, he'd just catch his breath, take some food for the road as well as any other items of value while he was at it and be on his. Speaking of which…

Flynn opened the flap of his satchel and stared at the jewel encrusted crown. He sighed in relief "Finally," He said to the crown "We're alone."

This was it! His ticket to-

 **CLANG!**

* * *

"Whoa!"

Jack stepped back as Purse-Man fell out cold with a thud "You just got-" Jack looked up to see the culprit and caught a glimpse of blonde hair and wide green eyes. Eyes that were locked with his.

Then all he saw was a frying pan.

 **CLANG!**

"OW!" Jack reeled back and up towards the ceiling, rubbing his head "What is wrong with you?"

There was a terrified "Eek!"

Jack blinked through the pain to see his assailant…and immediately forgot about everything else. She was about Merida's height with a thin, lithe frame, heart-shaped face, large green eyes, and pouty pink lips. A green chameleon was perched on the shoulder of her pink and purple dress that ended just before her ankles. But her most memorable feature was her _hair_. It was golden blonde, and really long. Really, really, _really_ long! So long it reached the floor and trailed off into the recesses of the tower. But despite all that, Jack could only focus on one thing about the girl.

The fact that _she_ was focusing on _him_.

Slowly, he floated to the floor. The girl backed up and aimed the tip of her frying pan at him "S-stay back!" she ordered "Don't come any closer!" Jack took a half step forward, eyes wide, his expression one of disbelief "You can see me!" he breathed. The girl flinched at his voice and tightened her grip on her frying pan. She narrowed her eyes and said "I know what you're here for. And you're not getting a single strand of it!"

Jack blinked at her words "Huh?"

"You heard me! You're not getting _any_ of my hair!"

Jack's mouth formed a silent question "Why would I want your hair?" he asked slowly. "To cut it off and sell it, why else would you be here? Well, you're not getting any of it so you…you can just take your ruffian friend and leave!" she said, gesturing to Purse-Man and then out of the window with the edge of her frying pan. Jack eyed her strangely "Cut it off and-? Never mind." He shook his head free of her odd question and asked her one of his own "How can you see me?" he asked her.

The question seemed to throw the girl for a loop and she shared a look with the chameleon and looked back at him, still wary.

Jack frowned, seeing he had lost her. Where was Hiccup when you needed him? The young Viking was a much better people person than he was. Then again, _everyone_ was a better people person than he was! Everyone else could actually _interact_ with one another, he thought bitterly. Jack's inner musing was brought to an end by the girl asking him another question "Who…who are you?" she asked tentatively.

Jack blinked and looked up at her, a smile stretching across his face "I'm Jack Frost!" he greeted and pressed the crook of his staff against the wall. Frost bloomed from the wood, making soft crackling sounds as it spread along the stone and floor. The girl gasped in amazement at the sight and Jack couldn't help but smile. Slowly, like a child examining something new, the girl crouched down and gently touched the frost curling around her feet.

Jack chuckled and cupped his hand. Neon blue light spilled from in between his fingers. The girl stared in awe as he opened his hand and a flurry of snowflakes spilled out toward her. One landed on her pert nose which wrinkled against the cold. Suddenly, her brow furrowed in confusion "Jack Frost?" she asked herself. Then, her face lit up in surprised recognition "Jack Frost!" she said excitedly. "Wow!" she said, her wariness of him gone, replaced by childish excitement "I've only read about you in a book!"

 _What?_

Jack blinked. "I'm in a book?" he asked. That...made no sense! No one knew about him; he was eternally invisible to all around him with the exception of Hiccup, Merida...and now this girl...which he still couldn't figure out _why?_ What made them so special that they could see him and no one else could?

The girl's head bobbed "Yes, yes, yes!" she said rapid fire "There's a book about you upstairs!" She suddenly slapped her forehead as if just remembering something "Oh, where are my manners, I'm Rapunzel!" she said "And this is Pascal!" she nodded to the chameleon on her shoulder.

Shrugging off his inner confusion, he smiled and gave a low bow "Jack Frost. But, you already know that." Rapunzel laughed and turned her attention down to Flynn "So, who's he?" she asked. Jack scratched his head "I don't know. I just followed him up here."

Rapunzel gasped and worried her lip "What if…what _he's_ here for my hair! And mother will be back soon!" She looked around as if to find a solution to get rid of him. Her eyes fell on Jack "You need to go! Mother will be back soon, and when she sees you both she's gonna freak out and…" she trailed off, eyes flicking back and forth from Purse-Man to a nearby closet. She turned a bright and hopeful smile on Jack and said "Can you help me hide him, please?" she asked desperately.

And that is how Jack Frost wound up helping hide a body.

It took some time and some combined effort (Purse-Man was heavier than he looked) but they eventually got him stuffed in Rapunzel's closet with a chair propped up against it. "Well," Jack said to himself "That was certainly eventful."

Rapunzel nodded and tugged a lock of her hair "Yep." She said "I have a person in my closet." She blinked "I have a person in my closet?" she repeated before her face broke out into a wide grin "I have a _person_ in my _closet!"_ Rapunzel strolled over to her mirror and smiled proudly "Ha! Too weak to handle myself out there, huh mother?" she said with a twirl of her frying pan "Well, tell that to my frying pan-"

 **CLANG!**

Said frying pan smacked her upside the head. Jack winced. Rapunzel held it out in front of her and glared at it. Movement drew her attention behind her to Jack picking up Flynn's satchel by the crook of his staff "What's in this thing, anyway?" he asked out loud. Rapunzel tilted her head to the side "What is it?" she asked as she approached. Jack stared at it "I don't know. He was holding onto this thing pretty tight."

Rapunzel reached out and opened the satchel, revealing the beautiful crown inside.

"Whoa." Jack breathed.

Wordlessly, Rapunzel turned and walked towards her mirror, taking the satchel and crown with her. "What is this thing?" She asked.

"It's a crown." Jack said.

"A crown?" Rapunzel echoed. She shared a look with Pascal, who shrugged.

Jack frowned "Yeah…don't you know what a crown is?"

Rapunzel shook her head "No. What is, a bracelet?" she looped it through her arm and let it hand there awkwardly.

"No," Jack said "It goes on your head."

Rapunzel looked at Pascal, who shrugged again. She took the crown off her arm and held it out in front of her. Might as well, she decided. She turned it around so the sparkling jewels faced front and gingerly raised it over her head. Suddenly, an overwhelming sense of familiarity overtook her. The hoop of the crown was inches away from her yellow locks, when her mother's musical voice called up to her.

"Rapunzel, Rapunzel, let down your ha~ir!"

"Coming, mother!" she yelled back.

Rapunzel turned and ran for the window, a smile on her face. She couldn't wait to tell mother about her prisoner! Rapunzel dropped the satchel into a pot and danced around Jack-

Jack.

Oh no.

Rapunzel hit the brakes and spun on her heels, wrapping herself up in her hair, the words "You need to go!" on her lips. Momentum carried her forward and into the arms of Jack Frost. "Whoa!" she exclaimed.

"You alright?" Jack asked. "Yeah." she responded as he helped her untangle herself "Wow, you're really cold." She commented once she felt his skin. She looked up into his face. Spring green met icy blue, and Jack couldn't help but count the light dusting of freckles across the bridge of her nose.

"Rapunzel!"

Rapunzel blinked and then tensed up "You need to hide!"

Jack blinked "What?"

"Just hide!" She urged before she sprinted to the window and flung it open "One moment, mother!" she called down as she looped her hair over the hook.

Her mother called up "I have a surprise!"

Rapunzel began to pull "Uh, I do, too!" she sing-songed. She looked back over her shoulder at Jack who was currently standing around. Their eyes met and Rapunzel purposefully widened her eyes as if to say "Hurry!" She turned back as her mother replied with "Oh, but I bet my surprise is bigger!" Rapunzel looked behind her as she heard a whoosh of wind and saw that Jack was nowhere in sight. "I seriously doubt it!" she muttered to herself.

As she reeled in her mother, Gothel beamed and announced "I brought back parsnips! I'm going to make you hazelnut soup for dinner, your favorite. Surprise!" she finished with an extravagant wave. Rapunzel smiled and began to say "Well, mother, there's something I want to tell you." but Gothel strolled forward to hang up her cloak and cut her off with "Oh, Rapunzel, you know I hate leaving you after a fight, especially when I've done _absolutely_ nothing wrong."

"Okay," Rapunzel tried "I've been thinking a lot about what you said earlier-"

"I hope you're still not talking about the stars." Gothel said from the kitchen counter. "Floating lights." Rapunzel corrected "And yes, I'm leading up to that-"

"Because I really hoped we dropped the issue sweetheart." Gothel interrupted. Rapunzel inched back to her closet where the man was kept hidden "No, mother, I'm, just saying, you think I'm not strong enough to handle myself out there-"

"Oh darling, I know you're not strong enough to handle yourself out there." Gothel said smoothly.

"But if you just-"

"Rapunzel, we're done talking about this."

She was so close to the closet "Trust me!" she implored.

"Rapunzel."

"I know what I'm-"

"Rapunzel."

"Oh come on-"

Her mother exploded "Enough with the lights, Rapunzel!" she screamed "You are not leaving this tower, EVER!"

Rapunzel flinched back from her mother's tone of voice. Slowly, her hand drew away from the chair bolting the closet shut. Gothel fell back into a chair with a sigh "Great," she groaned "Now _I'm_ the bad guy."

Rapunzel's eyes flickered around the tower and landed on the painting she had done of the floating lights. Suddenly, a thought hit her.

If she was ever going to see the lights...then she was going to have to do it herself.

"All I was going to say, Mother, is that...I know what I want for my birthday, now." she said holding her forearm in a nervous gesture.

"And what is that?" Gothel intoned tiredly. "New paint." Rapunzel answered "The paint made from the white shells you once brought me."

"Well that is a very long trip, Rapunzel." Gothel said, looking at her "Almost three days' time."

"I just thought it was a better idea than the...uh...stars." Rapunzel said softly. Gothel glanced sideways before rising from her chair with a sigh "You're sure you'll be alright on your own?" She asked. Rapunzel smiled "I know I'm safe as long as I'm here." When she felt her mother's lips kiss the top of her head, she knew the deal was sealed.

She helped her mother pack and lower her out the window. "I love you very much, dear." Gothel said to her.

"I love you more." Rapunzel replied.

"I love you most."

She stood at the window and waved mother goodbye, waiting for her to leave. When she did, she turned right back around and dashed back inside.

"So what was that all about?" Asked a voice from above her. Rapunzel looked up to see Jack Frost sitting up in the rafters. A twirl of his staff, and a small flurry of snowflakes descended about her. "Yeah," Rapunzel began awkwardly "Mother can be a little overprotective." she said. Jack scoffed as he floated down to solid ground "A little?" He chuckled "She's as bad as Toothless..." He trailed off "...Toothless...Hiccup...oh no!" Jack slapped a hand over his face. "I forgot all about them!" he said to himself and ran for the open window.

"Who?" Rapunzel asked.

"My friends." Jack answered as he perched on the windowsill in preparation to take flight "Merida is going to kill me." he groaned.

"Well, then don't go!" Rapunzel tugged on his arm. Jack blinked and looked around to see real concern on the girl's face. "What? Oh, no, she's not _really_ to kill me! Well, not entirely, anyway." He joked. Rapunzel swallowed before asking him "Will...will you come back?"

Jack blinked before a wide grin stretched across his face "Of course I am!" he said spreading his arms "I still want to see what I'm like in that book of yours. Tell you what, I'll even bring my friends! And don't worry, they won't after your hair or anything like that, I promise."

"Your friends?"

"Yeah! You'll like 'em. Hiccup's a little dorky, and Merida can get pretty loud, but their great. Really great." He added fondly.

Rapunzel beamed "Okay." she said. Jack nodded with one final glance over his shoulder and hopped out the window, shooting high into the sky over Rapunzel's tower and the waterfall behind it. He flew above the canyon and the trees until he could see everything from a bird's eye view. Jack smiled when he saw a thin line trail of smoke rising above the trees and flew towards it.

He couldn't wait to tell them what just happened!

* * *

Jack was beginning to regret coming back at all.

"Where the devil were ye? We've been lookin' for ye fer a whole hour!" Merida screeched.

Jack winced at how loud her voice was. He swore he heard startled birds flying away "Um...sorry?" he tried unsuccessfully.

"Seriously, where were you?" Hiccup prompted. His eyes narrowed "You didn't freeze yourself again, did you?" he asked dryly.

"No!" said quickly.

"He froze himself?" Merida pounced.

"It was an accident!" Jack groaned.

"Oh it _sure_ was!" Hiccup said with a smirk.

"Oh, ah have te hear this one!" Merida said with a laugh. Jack's eyes widened and he pointed at Hiccup "Don't you tell her!" Jack warned him. Hiccup crossed his arms with a sly smile and said "Oh, I'm telling her."

"Hiccup-"

"Once, Jack tried to make an ice ramp and wound up he freezing his feet together...upside down, I might add."

Merida looked at Jack with her mouth open, a second away from bursting out laughing. "It was an accident!" Jack repeated "Hiccup was distracting me!" he said, pointing an accusing finger at the Viking in question.

Hiccup raised an eyebrow "Distracting? How was I distracting? I distinctly remember standing ten feet away saying how it was not a good idea!"

"Yes it was." Jack grumbled.

Merida snorted.

"Oh, that's not even the best part." Hiccup gloated. Jack's eyes flashed and Hiccup took that as his cue to say "He thought it would be a good idea to do it with his eyes closed."

Merida finally cracked. She exploded into loud laughter that quickly descended into un-ladylike snorts. Jack looked at her "Nice laugh, Princess." he commented. Merida paused in her mirth and said "Not as nice as you _freezin' yer feet together!_ "

"It took us half an hour to get him out. The ice was like three feet thick." Hiccup added with a small chuckle.

Jack glared back and forth between Hiccup and Merida "Oh, is that funny? You think that's funny? Well, maybe Merida would like to know some of _your_ embarrassing moments!"

Hiccup's face instantly went ashen "Jack-"

"Once, last autumn, I walked in on Hiccup-"

"OKAY!" Hiccup interrupted loudly "Jack, please, why don't you tell us where you've been all this time!?"

Jack glanced sideways at Merida "I'll tell you later." He said out of the corner of his mouth. "Just don't freeze yerself when ye do." Merida teased. Jack waited for Merida to stop laughing (During such time he threw a snowball at Hiccup's face) and said "Okay, we get it, ha-ha. Look, can you stop teasing me for five seconds? I've got to tell you something!" They paused upon seeing the wide-eyed and excited expression on his face. When he knew he had their attention, he shared in his grand discovery "I found someone else who can see me!"

Hiccup and Merida both stared in surprise.

"Really?"

Jack nodded profusely "Yeah! Her name's Rapunzel, she lives in this tower and has crazy long hair!" He turned and motioned to the open sky with his staff "Come on, I want to introduce you to her!" He hopped up and was airborne in an instant.

"Jack, wait!" Hiccup called. Jack turned around from fifty feet up and yelled back "Come on!" before he floated off.

Hiccup sighed "Worse than a Terrible Terror." He grumbled.

"C'mon," Merida said as she led a yawning Toothless over to them. The dragon had been trying to sleep by the fire through their conversation and looked rather grumpy to be awake. "Better go off after 'em before he goes wanderin' off somewhere else."

Hiccup sighed and walked over to Toothless. Honestly, it seemed like every time Jack went off on his own he wound up dragging him along for the ride. Upon noticing his sour expression, Merida nudged his elbow "Oh, quite yer poutin'," She said "It might be fun!"

Hiccup shook his head, remembering all the instances that Jack had said those exact words and the village had been in complete chaos afterwards. He shuddered "That's what I'm afraid of."

* * *

 **This chapter took a while to write. It's not that it was hard, I had a basic idea of what I wanted to happen, but it was the details and dialogue that got me.**

 **A few of you might be surprised that Flynn (Eugene, whatever) is here. Well, surprise! The cannon fans are most likely complaining saying "What? You didn't keep Astrid but you're adding Flynn?" Yes, yes I did. I actually like Flynn; he's probably the only Disney character that questions 'why is everyone singing?' Till next time!**


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